What Laziness and Complaining Earn!

Those who control their tongue will have a long life;
opening your mouth can ruin everything. Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper. It’s better to live alone in the desert
than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.  Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.  Proverbs 13:3,4; 21:19,23 NLT

In the Bible (NLT) the word "lazy" occurs 25 times in 24 verses and "complaining" 10 times in 10 verses. In the environment in which we live--how often do we see the lazy and hear the complainers? Far too many times!

Whenever there is work to be done--those who love their beds more will seldom rise to get any accomplished before noon and then wonder why they don't have time to get everything finished that they need to do. After waking late, they move slowly, and always easily distracted from the task at hand. When the day rolls away (time stops for no one), they complain they didn't have time! Imagine that!

Procrastinators--those who keep putting things off are part of the lazy group. They always think they have more time than they have and put things off until the very last minute--sometimes missing important deadlines--and then they have the nerve to complain.

My favorite complaints are:
"I'm late because I missed my bus."
"I didn't do my homework because I couldn't find my book."
"I can't get to work because I take the bus."
"The dog ate my homework."
"I got up late and didn't have time to finish."
"The store was closed by the time I got there."
"These people get on my nerves. Why is this line so slow?"

Here's what I've learned in the course of living. When I get up early, I have more time to do the things I need to do. When I go to bed early, I can get up early without complaining. On a day like today, with snow falling throughout the night--I got up earlier than my usual 5:30 a.m. to check to see if schools were closed and how much snow has to be moved. Today, schools are closed so my grandson gets to sleep in, but we will have to move snow once it stops. There have been days when we both got up and shoveled snow, got dressed and headed out because the schools were not closed.

Getting an early start on things--usually ends up with better results. I've never waited until the last minute to write a paper for a class and usually irritated classmates (with group projects) by starting as soon as the assignment is made. I usually make it to work at least 20 minutes to an hour before I have to be there because I hate rushing in at the last minute. I plan my day like I plan the novels I write--there is a strategy and when I keep to the strategy, things work. The old adage about "the early bird gets the worms" is true. The earlier I start a project, the greater the likelihood I'll be pleased with the outcome.

There is one area in my life in which I wish I started earlier--living according to The Word--but then, I wouldn't have learned some very valuable lessons that make me appreciate where I am today. God doesn't have a problem with us making mistakes; He has a problem with us not learning from them. So, because of my early mistakes--and I have learned from them--I have a testimony about how good God is and how much He loves us.

It is because of my love for Him that I rise early every morning, get into His Word, talk to Him and write my blogs. It is because of Him that I can move out earlier enough to arrive before I need to be anywhere. It is because of Him that early-made-plans usually succeed beyond my expectations and it is because of Him, that I can say--I have no reason to complain.

I'm looking forward to the reward I've earned by controlling my tongue, getting an early start to complete any task and not complaining in the process. Those who are lazy and complain--will also get their just reward, but I don't think they're going to like it.

We all have a choice to make and I choose not to be: a doubting Dolly, a naysayer Nellie, or a last-minute Lolly. I choose to do all things--decently and in order--all to His glory!