I'm Lazy... I Admit It

"A little more sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest..." Laziness creeps up on me just like that. It hands me a box of excuses when I need them the least, and conveniently refills it long before it runs empty. "Just sleep in 10 minutes longer," "You're too tired right now; take a nap and you'll be much better suited to the task," or "Tomorrow would be better to do this," are just a few samples. Two of my most frequent excuses at the moment happen to be "Just do it tomorrow," and "Why do it at all?" I don't want to give in to them, but I do, time after time. Through Christ, I know I can duck tape my box shut and burn it to ashes, however difficult it may be to remember at times.

I am a procrastinator extraordinaire; I could make myself rich if it were a profession. When I would rather be doing something more entertaining, I trick myself into believing that putting off my work would actually help me do better with it later. I'm not exactly sure how you can lie to yourself, and not get caught, but it is possible, as long as you hide your mischievous intentions from your conscience. Days of procrastinating mysteriously become weeks, leaving me to ponder what warlock stole my time. Yet I know that the only warlock here is my own laziness, and as much as I would love to blame something, anything else, it's my own fault, and I know it.

On top of making me a dreadful procrastinator, laziness also keeps me from starting certain tasks, like housework. Sweeping and dusting aren't so bad, but washing dishes and cleaning up the yard are the worst chores ever! To me, these are evil inventions specifically designed to torture my very soul (okay, that's somewhat of an exaggeration, but sometimes it truly feels that way). And this is my justification. I hate certain chores, therefore, I need not do them. Where in some situations, I might feel guilty for not completing a job, when it comes to picking up leaves, or scrubbing plates, I feel none whatsoever. Eventually, I feel an itch of remorse here and there, but generally, that laziness warlock gets the better of me.

It is so easy to get caught in this trap. Laziness is subtle, deceitful. I give in time after time, often excusing it or justifying it. But I am assured of Christ's work in my life, that is, His promise to rid me of my sin. His sacrifice allows me to be forgiven of my laziness, among other sins; and not only forgave, but freed. I am not forced to sin any longer, because He is now in my life to make me resemble His perfection. This process is God's tool to help me lean on Him daily. If I was perfect from here on out, I would not need His strength and power every moment of every day in order to battle sin. So I am grateful for my laziness, not the sin itself, but the glory which the battle and the victory grant to the One who fights and defeats it.

Dear Inner Critique

Dear Inner Critique,

As of late, you have become a great nuisance. You have kept me from finishing many a project and have often persuaded me to refrain from starting new ones. The majority of your advice has been quite detrimental and negative, the very opposite of what it should be. There is little I do that is good enough for your taste, and since my work cannot measure up, why begin? If I accepted everything you said, I should find myself begging on the side of the road somewhere.

For these reasons, your employment is terminated. Consider this a friendly warning; the official pink slip will be sent tomorrow.

I apologize for any inconveniences unemployment might cause you, yet I hope you understand why I could not keep you. I also encourage you use this as a learning experience to better prepare you, should find another critiquing position. Knowing what one's mistakes are often helps one overcome them, and I am certain that is true for you.


Sincerely,
Your former boss

World Peace?

Recently, I entered into a discussion about world peace (let it be noted that I did not instigate this discussion). This guy insisted on the possibility of all humanity being able to get along perfectly, without war, without conflict. It was hard for me to resist bursting out in laughter- he spoke with such conviction in an absolutely preposterous. He truly believed people would someday learn to live in total peace with one another because time would eventually improve human nature.

Instead of laughing, I blankly stared at him for a few seconds. I had to compose my thoughts and sort my opinions and my arguments. He was wrong, not about there being a day with no more contentions, but about  such a day occurring as a result of time and human effort. People do not have perfect peace in them of themselves. The only way "world peace" can truly be achieved is when the Almighty God wills it to happen by His power; end of story.

To make my point, I reached for this guy's phone. The moment my fingers had wrapped around it, he snatched it away and held it like his life depended on it. A cell phone. According to him, humanly initiated world peace was possible, yet he couldn't let me take his phone. He had no intention sharing his plastic device, whatsoever. Ironic, considering how assured he was of future world peace.

If people cannot find peace with each other concerning small, plastic things, how can we have peace in matters concerning life and death. We fight over the TV remote, and the last piece of cake. Someone cuts us off on our way to work, so we take it out on the clerk at the front desk. These are small things, relatively meaningless, but they can cause so much strife in people's lives. But we can make world peace for ourselves, without any help.

The reality is, it is not humanly possible to make the world peaceful. It is, however, Divinely possible. He is called the Prince of Peace, and that says it all. He will make a day when war will only be a memory, a day when conflict will be a word for the history books. He is the only one we can trust to give us world peace.

Encouragement

Encourage- "to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence" (from Dictionary.com)

Everyone needs encouragement, especially in a world where everyone and everything shouts,"You're not good enough," "You're not rich enough," and "You'll never be happy without..." It is absolutely exhausting. There is no contentment or peace in such a world.

Hopeless, I groan because I believe I'm not good enough, wealthy enough, or happy enough. I see these words as unchangeable, unarguable truths. They ring in my ears and drown out everything else, and I spiral into a seemingly endless cycle of selfishness. Now, the world revolves around me, and my sad mess of a life. But who would understand, or care for that matter? The world just told me that I am a big bucket of worthlessness.


It is in these moments, that I wish someone would hold me in their arms and yell back,"Stop your lying! Can't you see how destructive it is?!" Many times, I have longed for someone to pull me up, up out of the filth where I had been groveling for so long. I needed someone to speak the truth: You were created by a the Perfect one who does not make mistakes. 

I thank God, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, for being that someone. In my darkest hours, He was the one to hold my aching soul and wipe the grime away. He yanked me out of my selfishness and poured His Word into my heart, reminding me of His greatness. I may be nothing at all, but my Father is the Lord of All Creation, who gave His Son for my sins so that I could be His child. His sacrifice allows me to rest in Him, regardless of the world's lies.

The world shows us everything we don't have, but Jesus reminds us of everything He is. The world makes us covet, yet Jesus allows us to count our blessings. The world tells us we deserve better, while Jesus says we don't even deserve life. He is the only one who can truly fulfill us, and this knowledge is encouraging.