From Sluggard to Servant

After being away for a few weeks, the overgrown and weedy condition of the yard made my recent absence obvious.  Today I spent some of the morning doing yardwork as I pulled clover, mowed grass, edged the nature strip, raked up leaves that dropped into planters and used a leaf blower to clean up.  I was reminded of a passage of Scripture where Solomon addressed a lazy sluggard to consider the ant and to follow the example of this hard-working insect.  Without having a king or guide, ants work individually and collectively to tirelessly provide for their food in the appropriate season.

Proverbs 6:9-11 reads, "How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? ¹⁰  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep--¹¹ so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man."  Sleep and rest are things some people do not seem to be satisfied with, though they sleep long and rest often.  Late mornings and a penchant for idleness can go together, and Solomon warned poverty can sneak up on such people and overpower them like a strong man.  I know people who are industrious and hard workers with little sleep, but the pursuit of a "little" sleep can be like the pursuit of "one drink" for alcoholics who drinks more than they should.  Despite their drinking they remain perpetually thirsty, and a lazy or idle person can never rest enough for their liking.

I understand there is vast diversity among people and the amount of sleep people require to function at their best.  The point Solomon made was there are some who sleep more than they need to, and such prefer to be sleeping or idle rather than working for a living or maintaining the dwelling God has blessed them with.  Solomon revealed the cost of laziness and neglect in Ecclesiastes 10:18:  "Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks."  When we notice a wet patch on a ceiling or a puddle on the floor, it would be unwise to shrug it off as a strange, one-off phenomenon that warrants no further investigation.  It is good to notice your roof is leaking, soaking the carpet or dripping on your face while you are trying to sleep, but it would be foolish to realise something is wrong and do nothing to remedy the problem.

When these proverbs were written, roofs were not composed of tile or asphalt shingles that could last 30 years, and regular maintenance was needed to ensure water was kept out.  There is much in our lives that requires careful monitoring and maintenance, whether it be our houses, yards, vehicles, and bodies.  The same is true spiritually.  It is important we as Christians do not neglect to feed on the pure word of God and to remain active in prayer, worship, thanksgiving and service unto the LORD.  It is easy to pack on kilos when we eat and remain sedentary, and spiritual sloth can also lead to pride, hardness of heart, weakness and weariness in attempting basic tasks.  Our alertness to recognise temptation quickly dulls, and our ability to stand strong wearing the armour of God diminishes.  Praise the LORD there is a remedy for our neglect, for our LORD Jesus is able to do all the work required better than a skilled landscaper or roofer.  What is needed is for us to wake up, acknowledge our spiritual sloth and repent, ask God to help and do the first works again by believing, loving and serving Him as we should.