Don't Be Lazy

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

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 6-7; 2 Corinthians 2

I had dinner with my mom the other day and the topic of my childhood came up. On previous occasions we have talked about how difficult I was as a child. I was never really THAT bad. I didn’t break stuff or really get into anything crazy. But I was strong willed to say the least.

Ok I’ll keep it real. I was stubborn as all get out.

But in this convo she said something that I haven’t heard her say before. We were talking about how I was always naturally inquisitive about many things as a child but when I wasn’t interested in a given topic it was a whole other matter.

She said I was lazy. Rough game…

Mildly insulted but simultaneously amused, I tried to put a different spin on it. I retorted that I did good in the things I was interested in. So when it came to school it wasn’t that I was lazy, I just wasn’t interested in those classes (at least that’s what I told myself for years until recently).

“No” she said, “you were lazy!” Then she laughed at me!

The audacity my mom has!

I thought about this for the next couple of days and I realized that she was right. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I started learning the value of hard work. I was one of those kids that just did what I had to do and fought to not even do that much. Why work hard when it wasn’t necessary, especially if it didn’t really matter?

That was my logic as a child and even for several years as an adult. But being in the “real world” taught me the truth. It doesn’t matter how smart or talented you are, you MUST work hard.

The difference between potential and true success is the amount of hustle one is willing to put into their craft. There are plenty of brilliant minds walking the streets homeless or stuck in day jobs because, for whatever reason, they couldn’t figure out the best way to cultivate their discipline.

Discipline is a constant journey of spiritual growth. The more we mature in discipline, the better our lives become.

The journey along the path of our purpose requires extreme discipline at every step. Often times the dreams that we carry in our hearts have never been done the way that we envision them. If we are going to blaze a new trail in this world we gotta take out our machetes and get to work cutting a clear path to travel upon.

It’s all good though. It may seem hard or even impossible but as long as you remember that all things are possible then you can have the faith to keep taking those steps forward.

Every day is an opportunity to take another step toward who you want to become.

Seize the day. Don’t be lazy.