Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find. (Proverbs 12:27 NLT)
One thing I learned from my father was the value of hard work. Hard work will eventually pay off. That’s why we live in a world where we push ourselves hard to achieve success. But what about margin? What about self-care? What about our emotional, physical, and spiritual health?
One of the reasons I tend to over do it, is the fear of being lazy. Solomon has a lot to say about lazy people in the book of Proverbs. He describes them as foolish, ignorant, and even points to the idea that being lazy is the reason for their very demise.
So who wants to be lazy, after all I am partial to food, shelter, and clothing, all of which lazy people don’t get to have according to Solomon.
So I work, and I work, and I work. So you work, and you work, and you work. As a culture, we have almost erased all the margin in our lives, that space between the load we carry and our human limitations. And we do this all because we have a fear of being lazy. I mean we live in a culture where we brag about how much we work and how little we rest.
Here’s the thing I’m learning when it comes to margin, putting too much on your plate always results in more work.
Solomon says that lazy people are those who catch the game, but don’t cook it. In other words not working hard is equally as lazy as not completing tasks. The reality is, the more tasks we take on, the less likely we are to complete anything, and that makes us lazy.
On the other hand Solomon says that diligent people make use of whatever they have. Being resourceful is a great way to maximize your efforts and ensure that you actually complete something you start.
So when it comes to margin, work with what you have and work it well, just don’t work so much that you never finishing working.
Life is too short to work yourself to death. Finish what you start, and live between the margins.
Live Well
Pastor L. #autismpastor
