Choose to Work Hard

"The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor" (Prov. 21:25, ESV).

I have learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks. I realized at some point several months ago that I shifted into auto-pilot. I haven't quite figured out how to change it. I guess that isn't quite true. I know what it will take to change it, but I am afraid to do it. I feel like Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring.

The right course is usually not the easiest course. Sometimes it is full of danger and loneliness. But more than that, it is usually filled with action. In truth, the right course is most usually perpetual action.

The hardest part for some is decision to do. Will I? or Won't I?

The question then becomes: what sort of person am I? Do I want, yet lack the heart to act? Or do I refuse to want because I'm not going to act?

The sluggard or lazy person want, but lack to heart to act. They can't get themselves motivated to do anything. The sluggard is marked by inaction.

I have found in my own life that several things lead me to laziness. Sometimes I lack focus or direction. Other times I lack genuine passion or concern about things. More often than not, I realize that it will take hard work to achieve what I want, and I'm not willing to do it.

I have tried to analyze the why of inaction, but I haven't found the magic bullet. They answer is as complex as the problem. In one venture it seems like the pay off isn't worth the effort. In another, it feels like the risk for failure it just too high.

In the end, I guess what matters is what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want. Do we want to be the kind of person who failed to pursue their dreams and therefore spends the rest of their lives consumed by regrets and what ifs? Or do we want to be the kind of person who looks back on their life and sees a legacy. This proverb calls us to work hard for our dreams. We would be wise to heed the advice.