The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. —
Proverbs 26:15
The world frowns on laziness. Every society has proverbs and wise sayings that discourage people from sloth or indolence. The Germans have a proverb that says, “Lazy men get active when it’s time to sleep.” The Burundian variant says, “The lazy one is pregnant in the sowing season.” The Norwegians say, “The lazier a man is, the more he plans to do tomorrow.” What about the Finns? They say, “The lazy sweat when they eat and complain of the cold when they work” The Malagasy say, “The lazy man who goes to borrow a spade says, ‘I hope I will not find one.’ ” The Danes say, “A lazy boy and a warm bed are difficult to part.”Proverbs 26:15
What do all these proverbs have in common? The Danish proverb that says, “Blame is a lazy man’s wages”, seems like a perfect summary of the lazy man’s attributes. The natural inclination of the lazy person is to do nothing. Proverbs says the lazy man blames his inaction on an imaginary lion lurking on the road. He goes to great lengths to explain, without even trying, why something cannot be done. Lazy people love excuses. They are quick to point to their disadvantages in life and the circumstances they believe are preventing them from performing as expected. The preferred place of the lazy is sleep, inactivity or unproductive engagement in frivolous things.
Proverbs 26:15 describes an incredible situation where doors of opportunity open to the lazy and they expect someone else to complete the process of taking advantage for them. Give the lazy free accommodation and they would also want you to furnish it for them. Throughout the scriptures, we are cautioned to avoid the ways of the lazy.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to be diligent and take responsibility for my own progress.Scriptural Reading:
Proverbs 26:13-28
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