"LAAAZZZY"

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Proverbs 31:17 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night.

What it is speaking to me:

I had a Geometry teacher in high school who was the last of his era. He was the kind of teacher from the movies. He lectured the whole time, abhorred questions, and brooked no nonsense. He would yell and scream at troublesome students, kick anyone out of the room who wasn't paying attention or being a distraction almost on a whim...it was wild. I kind of miss him.

He came to my memory reading these verses because when he would reprimand us about our tests or homework when we didn't show enough work, or tried to skip some steps, he would inevitably say his favorite line: "Don't be LAAAZZZZY." And he would really accentuate that "lazy" and draw it out. I can still hear in my head exactly how he said it. I guess it worked.

One thing I know: the lady described here in Proverbs 31 is not "lazy". Far from it. She works into the night and rises to work early in the morning. My goodness, I feel lazy by comparison just reading these verses. The point of this proverb is not even the fact that the woman is busy with work. The point is to show what a virtuous woman looks like, and all that hard work is a part of her virtue.

There is real virtue in hard work. In being productive. In producing something in your work that adds value to you, to your household, and to others. Laziness is the opposite of that. Laziness robs you, your household, and others. It is a virtue-robber.

So, in the spirit of my former geometry teacher, to all of us: "Don't be LAAAZZZY."

What is it saying to you?

Do you struggle with laziness?

When is it okay to relax?

How do you know what the right balance is?

What are we going to do about it?

Name the one task you are currently procrastinating on and resolve to complete it ASAP.