Get Off Your Duff/Live It!

Understanding Solomon's point of view on laziness is like harvesting low-hanging fruit.
Good thing, 'cause I don't feel like climbing on a Friday night.

This wise king doesn't just throw out the imperative, "Get off your duff!" He uses the carrots and sticks of real life to help make his point. After all, which would you prefer, wealth or poorhouse, profits or poverty, being a ruler or languishing in slave labor?

Sounds a little like "Scared Straight," that program that takes juvenile delinquents into a real prison to get a taste of their future should they make the foolish choice of continuing down the same path.

In the same way the prison setting creates a new perspective in the eyes of the young men who visit it, Solomon is trying to generate a new viewpoint in his students. You see, young men tend to think they are just chilling for a bit, having a few laughs, and doing what they want to do. According to the king, though, they are actually setting their feet on the path to squalor.

Of course, we're talking about a sustained period of laziness, not an occasional time of rest and relaxation between periods of hard work. But it's amazing how quickly an unchecked habit of laziness early on can turn into a lifetime pattern.

How can you spot the onset of a laziness habit? Here are some signs:

• A bed lust--a preference for sleep over work (Pr 20:13 & 26:14)
• Cravings for things, but no initiative or gumption to work for what you want (Pr 21:25)
• A talent for excuses to avoid work (Pr 22:13 and 26:13)
• Not taking advantage of obvious seasons of work (Pr 20:4)

Be on guard. Sleep and inactivity are really attractive at times. Just be careful they don't become prevalent in your life. And if you're a father, expect to see these signs in your little tykes. It's up to you to show them a better way. Reward always works better than punishment in this case. (Help them make the connection between hard work and prosperity.)

We've got to end this one with an insider's look at Solomon's sense of humor. Try to picture this description of the professional lazy guy: "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth." (Pr 26:15)

You can see the guy, can't you. He sees the food, craves it and even musters up the energy to bury his hand in it. But lifting that heavy weight up to his mouth, that's waaaaay too much work. "Hey honey. Would you mind feeding me tonight?"

Get Off Your Duff/Go Deep

Have you heard of the latest epidemic hurting kids?
Childhood obesity!

It has become so prevalent that it has reached levels qualifying the condition as an epidemic in some Western nations. The cause, according to several medical Web sites, is simply eating too much and exercising too little. That's it!

I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "epidemic" I tend to think of some insidious disease ravaging whole populations. But eating too much and exercising too little? The medical experts on mayoclinic.com say those are the most common causes of childhood obesity, moreso than genetic disease and hormonal disorders.

America's kids in particular have access to too many high calorie foods--junk food, soft drinks, and fast food as the primary culprits. Not only are these foods readily available, they are inexpensive and taste good! The poor suffer from this problem as much if not more than those with means.

Now couple that with too much time in front of the television, or glued to favorite video games, or surfing the Web (talk about an oxymoron), and you have childhood obesity.

Yes, there are influences in this country that entice young people to live lives of inactivity and unproductivity (how else do you explain the success of television programs like "Jackass"?). What a waste. And what a disability (laziness, that is).

It not only harms the individual, think of all the associations that are impaired by that person's lack of industry--classmates, teammates, family, and co-workers. All of them pay some level of price when they are saddled with an unproductive partner.

The question is, how much do those same influences impact us as adults? How do those influences bring out our natural tendency to be idle. What heights could we attain, if our own laziness weren't holding us back?

Let's explore some pointers from Solomon on Friday.

Get Off Your Duff/Think About It

Solomon had a real problem with laziness.
Not him personally, but perhaps he saw the issue in the lives of young men in Israel?

I found about 22 verses on laziness and the contrasting discipline of diligence in the "sayings chapters" of 10-31 in Proverbs. That's basically one saying per chapter dedicated to this topic. Obviously, advocating against laziness and in favor of industriousness among young men was a passion of Solomon.

"Why is that?" as Andy Rooney asks.

One thought is that the sheer opulence that existed in the royal city of Jerusalem during Solomon's reign may have contributed to an attitude of: "Work! We don't need no steeenking work!"

Consider these descriptions of Solomon's kingdom:

• Solomon's extensive fleet accomplished levels of world trade that created a regular influx of gold, silver and exotic goods (I Kings 10:22)


• That trade made gold so prevalent, that silver was considered by comparison a common material for common uses (I Kings 10:21)


• Gold and silver were as common as stones in Jerusalem (2 Ch. 1:15)


• This prosperity was made possible by peace on all sides of the kingdom as long as Solomon lived (I Kings 4:20-28)

Is it possible, under those conditions, that a generation of young men was growing up with a privileged attitude that was counter to a strong work ethic? If true, that was bad news for the country as well as for the long-term prospects of those men. (What happens when daddy can no longer work?)

Do the young men of today's America have a problem with laziness? Do we as men have to fight against the urge to be inactive? Are there cultural influences that would have us waste our time on frivolous pursuits?

No, couldn't be! Could it?