At different stages of life, depending on various factors, it is possible for people to go through periods when we lack the desire to be productive, and we come to consider ourselves or be considered lazy.
Such factors are things like the type of education we have had, the condition of the families in which we grew up, the degree of maturity we have reached, our personality, emotional situations;
Faced with the question, is laziness a sin? Or what does the Bible say about laziness?
I would like to respond with a brief reflection on this issue.
To do so, read with me this introductory Bible text:
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
| Proverbs 6:6 -11
Clearly, the Bible does not praise laziness at all, there are many verses in which the Bible condemns a lazy attitude and does not promote it at all.
As human beings, one of the first commands God gave us after leaving the garden of Eden was to work.
To be productive.
The reason God wants that for us is that He knows it’s a blessing to our life.
He knows it’s positive for our spiritual, physical, social, and psychological health.
And as a loving father, he urges us on the right path.
It is with this clarity that I would like to add a number of personal remarks, which I make simply from my personal experience, which I believe bring a broader perspective to the matter.
Let’s put on the redemptive lenses God uses to address the issue in the most ideal way.
It is possible to confuse lack of motivation with laziness
All people are different, we have different abilities, aptitudes, interests, we have different strengths and weaknesses.
It is for this reason that not all of us enjoy or find fulfillment in executing the same activities.
A person considered unproductive in a certain task may be highly productive in another.
Thus, it is important to determine whether the reason a person shys away from a certain activity is due to a lack of character, i.e. they are lazy, or whether it is because this activity or type of activity is highly unsatisfactory and frustrating.
To be productive, we should focus on carrying out those activities that bring us greater interest or that provide us with greater satisfaction.
Physical or mental health; and laziness
Another consideration I would like to make is that various physical and mental illnesses, or just periods that a person goes through on an emotional level, can bring with them a decrease in energy levels and therefore result in an unproductive attitude.
It is important to determine if your situation is associated with any of these causes in order to treat it.
Laziness is a habit of character that materializes in early childhood.
Finally and very important is to understand that a habit of laziness once strongly determined has its origin mainly in situations of upbringing or family.
In many cases, these types of behaviors are learned at home or are patterns of behavior that we develop that were not corrected in time.
But this does not mean that we are a lost cause, it means that with God’s help, once our reality is determined, we can face those things in a proactive and redemptive way to improve those weaknesses.
A solution
If you feel that you suffer from laziness, for whatever reasons, I want to invite you to start in prayer to ask God to show you and guide you to the ideas, resources, and people who can help you get out of that situation.
You are not a lost cause, you are a masterpiece in the process of being elaborated.
With time and self-knowledge, God will show you in what things and ways you can be most productive and useful.
Watch those moments when you find yourself lazy and ask yourself about the causes.
Surely that will help you.
Do you consider yourself lazy? Do others consider you a lazy person? What is your situation? Share with all of us to grow together.
A hug and blessings.
