A large midwestern city made headlines when its allotment of 284 tons of federal surplus food spoiled before it could be handed out. Earmarked for distribution among the city’s poor, the good was lost because of red-tape delays and administrative foul-ups. In two different warehouses it spoiled or was damaged by insects, rodents, and birds. The surplus included 92 tons of butter, cheese, and frozen turkeys, and another 113 tons of flour, rice, powdered milk, and dry beans. The estimated monetary value of the supplies came to $420,000. Our natural response is to say, “What a waste!”
It’s easy to criticize those responsible for such negligence. It’s even easier to point a judgmental finger at others who cause waster by maliciously destroying property. But in Proverbs 18:9 we are told that the lazy person, the procrastinator, the one who fails to work diligently is “a brother to him who is a great destroyer.” In other words, he is not much different from the person who commits arson or defaces a public monument. We may not be responsible for that kind of destruction, but let’s face it – we all must plead guilty, for we all are slothful at times.
It would be nice to think of laziness as nothing more than a minor character weakness. But the wise person sees it for what it is – a great waster of time and resources that can help others. And for the Christian who sees himself as a steward of God’s many gifts, that’s reason enough to guard against the sin of laziness. – Martin R. De Haan II
In works of labor or of skill
I would be busy too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do. – Watts
An idle person not only wastes time, he wastes himself.
- April 23, 1985, Our Daily Bread
For You 