Get Moving

Proverbs 12

I'm generally a hard working person so when I read verse 24 & 27 about laziness there was a part of me that said to myself, "I don't have to think much about this". But, if I want to be a wise man I must listen, learn and look honestly at my heart. No doubt there are degrees and shades of laziness in all of us.


When I think of laziness, I think of someone who sits on the sofa, munching on snacks and watching TV. But let's think more broadly than this image. Laziness is essentially an attitude that refuses to put forth effort, either physically, mentally, emotionally, socially or spiritually. Laziness wants comfort, ease, wealth, success, advancement, self-gratification, growth without putting forth any energy or personal cost. A lazy person may not even want a whole lot of anything. All they want is to exist without fear of failure, interference, resistance, discomfort, inconvenience or pain. To move is to lose -- lose their comfort zone, lose safety, lose a risk free life. They don't want to pay the cost that comes with building relationships, a family, a friendship, a career, a bank account, or anything else of much value. It's all just too hard, too painful, too risky, too much.


Again, we all dismiss any resemblance to us because this description is just too extreme to identify with. But to be wise we must ask the question, "What shades of laziness inhabit our attitudes and actions?". When answering this let's think of words that are both opposite and similar to laziness. The opposite actions would include effort, movement, forethought, planning, and intentionality. Similar lazy behavior would include avoidance, procrastination, stuck, resistance, apathy and passivity. These all suggest movement or the lack of movement whether mental, physical, emotional or spiritual. Are there areas in your life in which you are procrastinating, avoiding or you are just plain stuck because you don't know what to do or how to do it? What areas of your life need effort, movement, intentionality, forethought and planning? These usually fall into two categories, things to add to your life and things to remove from your life.


The book of Proverbs is replete with instructions to get us unstuck, started moving and to stay on the right path. The way of the wise does involve effort and cost, but remember, "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor" (12:24). Get moving today and you'll come out on top tomorrow.