Proverbs 6:6-11
You lazy fool, look at an ant.
Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
All summer it stores up food;
at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?
How long before you get out of bed?
A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
poverty your permanent houseguest!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
When
my Mam-ma Polly was still living at home, I would take her to the
beauty shop on Friday afternoons right after lunch. I would do her
grocery shopping and other errands while she was getting her hair
“done”. It almost never failed…when I picked her up, she would ask,
“Well…what have you done today?” In fact, she asked me that a lot of
days – often by mid-morning! This was not just a way to “make
conversation”…she truly wanted to hear a list of what I had done. Once I
retired, I have to admit that there were days when the answer was an
uncomfortable – if not embarrassing - ”not much!” But if I asked her
what she had done, she would rattle off this list that almost defied logic…especially for a 90-something-year-old woman!
My
grandmother would often start with a 6:00 a.m. walk, followed by a
breakfast (usually home-made to include eggs, sausage and a biscuit!),
then maybe doing some laundry that she hung on the line to dry, tidying
her house, and canning or freezing a seasonal fruit or vegetable or
making a pie or some cookies! And this would all transpire before
10:00 a.m.! She made me tired just to listen to her litany of completed
tasks! Even after she moved into the Assisted Living Facility, she
stayed incredibly busy for as long as physically possible. Breakfast,
exercise class, and sometimes a singing group and/or craft filled her
mornings. Usually she managed to squeeze a shower and cleaning her room
– or perhaps a little gardening - into this time span, as well!
When
I was young, my Mam-ma rose most mornings around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. and
cooked my Pap-pa a big hot breakfast, packed his lunch while he fed his
cows, then saw him off to work at a job that started early and ran
late. Then Mam-ma would dress and prepare for her workday - which
started before 7:00 a.m. with driving a school bus…collecting the kids
who lived in the countryside along her route to town. She then spent
the day as a chair-side dental assistant before picking the kids up
after school to return them to their homes.
Now most people would
come home from that kind of day and plop down on the couch with a snack
and “veg out” in front of the TV. But not my grandmother! She tended
her garden, sewed or worked on a quilt, and cooked a big hot dinner for
my grandfather. She did laundry and canned or froze fruits and
vegetables. She took time to teach us how to sew and cook and work a
garden and more.
It is important to note that my grandmother was
even more diligent about her work for the LORD than her daily chores.
Not only did she manage her household and her work away from the
home…she cared for others. She cooked meals for those in need and
served in various capacities in her church. She was a great “neighbor” –
to people up and down the countryside. She took time to study her
Bible…and to share the GOOD NEWS of Jesus with others.
Here’s the
thing…my grandmother lived 100 years and 123 days. I have to believe
that a big part of her longevity was due to her work ethic. But her
goal was not to live a certain number of days…not even to that magical
age of 100 years! My grandmother’s intention was to live a “rich”
life…and I mean “rich” in the things that truly matter. Yes, it was
important to my Mam-ma that we not sit around and do nothing and be
“lazy bums”…but it was more important that we learn to love others and
minister to them. She wanted us to meet a new next-door neighbor and
immediately invite them in for a meal and ask, “Where do y’all go to
church?”…to be ready to help with a ministry at the church - to prepare
food for someone who was sick or grieving…or to pray for others.
My
grandparents enjoyed their lives…they fished and played cards with
friends and belonged to a “supper club”. After my grandfather died,
Mam-ma traveled a little, enjoyed afternoon dominoes games with friends,
and danced three nights a week! But she knew how to distinguish
between leisure and laziness. And the latter didn’t have any place in
her life.
We’re all “lazy” from time to time. We take
vacations. We get a “day off”. But when this becomes a way of life for
us – physically and/or spiritually – it can be a slippery slope. Yes,
God wants us to rest…He is the GIVER of rest. But He wants us to figure out the difference between resting for rejuvenation…and making a “career” of it!
What
is your ultimate goal? Are you determined to do all that God calls you
to…physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? Do you trust Him
to give you the strength and stamina for this…and to help you to rest
and refresh when needed? Or have you decided to do the bare minimum…to
work only as much as necessary to get by…then prop up your feet the rest
of the time and hope someone else picks up the slack? Are you
stockpiling blessings in Heaven by your earthly service…or are your
“Heavenly cupboards” going to be pretty bare?
Are you living a
“rich” life…or one that is dirt poor? Is your “rest” one of
rejuvenation and renewal in God’s strength…or an ongoing festival on the
couch that is getting you nowhere? At the end of your life, where –
and how – will you have “rested”?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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