Emily sat motionlessly on a sofa like a statue for more than an hour, reminiscing about her self-incurred plight.
How she wishes she could turn the hands of time back to when she was more younger and energetic so that she could be more diligent and industrious.
Although it has been a gradual process that spanned three years, the consequences of how she lived her life during those years appeared too severe for her to bear.
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Without her being conscious of it, the time had sped past her like a winged chariot. Now like a drunk suddenly awake out of a deep slumber.
She found herself in a miserable and unfulfilled end. “O Emily” she cried, as her mind painted the details of those wasted years.
Emily was a victim of indolence. Right from her college days, indolence has been like a cancerous sore in her life.
She became averse to work the very day she stepped into the college.
From manual work, her lazy attitude encroached into her studies.
The once brilliant Emily became lackadaisical towards her studies, and as expected, her performance dropped drastically.
That was how she graduated from the college with such a poor result that could hardly get her any well-payed job.
It did not end there, a few years later, she got married to a man who could not condone laziness.
And being an international businessman William hardly had time to organise the home, regrettably, it became obvious that Emily could neither take proper care of herself nor the home.
The children looked untidy, a heap of dirty clothes often stood like a hill, a pile of dirty plates beckoned for attention in the kitchen.
It was an eyesore unless William had a little time from his busy schedule to tidy up the house himself.
The entire house is disorganized, dirty and stinking like a piggery. Her food which she usually cooked with struggle was always tasteless.
Her occupation was not spared either, she could hardly keep a job because of her indolence. On one occasion, her husband got her a job through his influence.
She hardly spent a month there because of her indolence. This broke her husband’s heart because she could support him in any way. Everything depends on him.
One day her husband died in a fatal accident, leaving her with three children. She helplessly watched mourners troop in and out as though she was in a cinema.
She wished it was a dream, but it was not, the reality of life had just dawned on her. It appeared as if her world had come to an end.
Where would she take the children?. How would she feed them and pay the various bills?. How would she even secure a job now?
Thinking about all these, she broke down in tears, with terrible sobs.
The following story exemplifies the regret and tragedy that befall the sluggard.
Description of the Sluggard.
According to Mariam websters dictionary, the sluggard is defined as a habitually lazy person.
The vocabulary also defines the sluggard as an idle slothful person.
And in the more general sense, the sluggard is an indolent and slothful person who sees waking up early as a herculean task.
She dislikes work or does not work well or stay on a task without constant supervision, prodding and extra motivation, She enjoys perpetual rest even when there is no evidence of work already done to justify such rest.
The sluggard is sluggish in everything she does. Full of excuses, she never finishes what she starts. Apart from these, fear resides in the bosom of a sluggard, he sees danger everywhere.
The sluggard is an invertebrate procrastinator, her motto is “never do today what you can put off until tomorrow”
As you read this article, if you are struggling with indolence. You must cultivate the nature and lifestyle of the ant as instructed by the scripture.
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise”.proverb 6:6.
Antidotes To Indolence.
1: Consider your present State:And there were four leprous men at the entering in, of the gate, and they said one to another, why to sit we here until will die 2 Kings 7:3.
The lepers were moved into action that saved their lives after considering their present state and the possible consequences.
Except you carefully examine your present unpleasant state or the possible outcome of your indolence, you may never wake up and be active.
Consideration makes you realise who and where you should be and your actual responsibilities in life.
It makes you see the need to improve your present condition to be the best you can be unless you realize that you need to actively engage in something worthwhile, you may never actualize your dream.
The point is, you need to deeply think, realize that you are not at your best and wake up.
2: Identify the causes of your indolence: Another vital area is to point out certain things that are responsible for your indolence. once you’ve identified them, painstakingly avoid them.
For instance, go to bed early, if you discover that you always wake up late avoid food that makes you feel heavy; shun any group of people that encourage indolence; deal with procrastination in your life; discard every lazy idea and cast away every form of fear.
Don’t entertain the fear of venturing into new things that can make your life better, provided they are not sinful.
Don’t be afraid of rejection, failure or risk and don’t be like the slothful man who would say “there’s a lion in the way” “a lion in the street” (Proverbs 26:13). life is all about risks.
Be decisive and focused: The lepers in the passage mentioned earlier simply decided not to be idle, even as a leper.
It was their decision that saved the whole land from famine. Note that the greatest force in the world can’t help the sluggards who haven’t made up their minds, to wake up because the power to do that resides within them.
You must, therefore, decide to pull out of that comfort zone of indolence.
Counsel and motivate yourself to break away from the habit of indolence and find something to do.
You also need to be focused and concentrate on your goal. Being focused will help you overcome unavoidable distractions.
4: Plan your tasks.
5: Be diligent.
6: Persevere.
The benefit of hard work: Note that difficult is not an excuse for indolence; it only gives you the opportunity to dig up the hidden potentials in you.
And just as someone rightly said: “The will to win, The desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potentials, and these are the keys that will unlock the door of personal excellence.”
The truth is that no great achievement ever comes on a platter of gold. Therefore, don’t wait for a favourable weather before you launch out to work: such time may not always come.
There is all need to work at all times to reach your goal. Hard work does not kill, but indolence does. consider the following benefit of hard work.
1: Hard work leads to character development: Through hard work, certain virtues are built and developed in individuals.
Even though hard times are naturally characterized by diverse challenges, by working to succeed despite unpleasant situations encountered,
It will train you to be courageous, discipline, persistent, focused, adventurous and goal setting.
Character development prepares and equips you against unfavourable circumstances of life. it builds your physical and spiritual muscles to weather the storms of life where others may fall.
2: Hard work begets success : Whereas some people may argue that hard work doesn’t always guarantee success, the scripture encourage hard work (Ecclesiastes 9: 10 ), with the promise that ” thy God shall bless in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto” (Deuteronomy 15: 10 ).
Contemporary achievers equally confirm that outstanding success can only be achieved through deliberate efforts.
According to Abraham Lincoln, “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
This statement underscores the reward for hard work: it attracts the best. Hence, don’t settle for the least when you can get the best through hard work.
3: Hard work open greater doors: Being industrious open greater doors of opportunities. Some people have been hand-picked and promoted or have their jobs completely changed for better ones for being found meticulous with small tasks.
Such opportunities don’t come by chance as the slothful may assume: they are attracted by hard work.
CONCLUSION
In a nutshell, laziness is condemned in its entirety for a Christian. The apostle Paul by the spirit of God clearly commanded: that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3: 10).
Therefore, all Christians are enjoined to work diligently and have a source of livelihood. Every member of the family must contribute their own quotas instead of complaining and being idle, especially at such a difficult time as this.
The man must provide for the home as the head ( 1 Timothy 5:8), while the wife gives substantial support as a helpmeet (Genesis 2:18).
Don’t keep sitting down and allow laziness wreck your home. Find something to do and the Lord will bless the work of your hands in Jesus name.
Prayer
1: Spirit of snail and tortoise in my life die in the name of Jesus
2: Arrow of slow motion and laziness in my destiny backfire in the name of Jesus
