Are you taking the right risks? (22:13)
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside; I shall be slain in the streets.”
Risk can never be avoided entirely, but what risks do you take?
Some people are cautious to a fault, using their timidity as a mask for their laziness. They invent ridiculous excuses to justify inaction, amplifying any and all dangers. If there are no dangers, they’ll make some up.
The lazy love to stay at home and do nothing. This truth also appears in Proverbs 26:13. How can you identify laziness? It’s repeated for emphasis. Cowards are lazy and the lazy are cowards. Read on.
Translation
The Hebrew word for “slain,” רשע (rā•šāʽ, pronounced “rah-sha”), refers to “an accident, manslaughter, premeditation, or governmental execution,” says James Swanson in the Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (e-edition; Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). The sluggard imagines all of these terrible possibilities. It’s not only that he might have an accident in the street or perhaps be bitten by a dog. No. He imagines even more dangerous possibilities. There’s a lion out there just waiting to pounce and savagely devour him. It’s best to stay inside, safe and secure.
The sluggard doesn’t speak of minor nuisances such as bad weather or a barking dog, but manufactures ridiculous reasons to justify inactivity. He sees trouble everywhere and rejects any risk. He convinces himself there’s a lion outside. And who could fault him for avoiding a lion? He’s just being safety conscious. After all, it’s safety first! As one wit said, “No one works, no one gets hurt.”
Slow Death
The sluggard doesn’t recognize the cost of his inactivity—its slow poison. As he hides in his comfort zone, his world shrinks, and his life passes. It’s like the lesson about boiling a frog. If the frog is dropped quickly into boiling water, it immediately jumps out. If the frog is placed in a pot of cool water on a stove, and the heat then turned up, it just sits there. Unawares, it gets accustomed to the rising temperature, until it’s slowly cooked to death. Similarly a sluggard loves his own comfort way too much for his own good, cooking himself in comfort.
There are always risks in every effort. Every business endeavor must be tested eventually in the marketplace. This is true about books, technology, music, works of art: Anything worth doing must be able to withstand public scrutiny. We can imagine great things, but until they are publicly tested and vetted in “the real world,” they remain only our secret scheme, and perhaps, sadly, a deluded sedative!
Is Home Always “Home Sweet Home?”
The sluggard likes to remain at home, maybe even alone in his room. He loves computer games, exercising his imagination, but he’s reluctant to do the real work to get his dreams out into the public forum. He’s unwilling to engage with others—whether in sport or in trade. So if a sluggard is afraid of going out into the street, imagine how reluctant he would be of going into the jungle, where real lions live.
Laziness is closely linked to cowardice and selfishness. Entrepreneurs are usually hard working risk-takers. Courage and industry go together, as do laziness and stinginess. The real danger lurks within the sluggard’s comfort zone. It will hurt him more than the lion outside. Refer to the dangers of excessive sleep, using the keyword “sleep.” Laziness impoverishes and suffocates him in his own little world.
- Memorize the text in your favourite Bible translation and think about it often.
- Check your business dealings and see if there are any areas where you are avoiding the marketplace because of fear. How realistic is that fear?
- Test the reality of your fears with others who have more experience than you. Beware of being too cautious.
- Be prepared to make phone calls, walk streets, and knock on doors for business.
Which of these steps, if any, does Jesus want you to take now? Ask Him.
Risk can never be avoided entirely, but what risks do you take?
Some people are cautious to a fault, using their timidity as a mask for their laziness. They invent ridiculous excuses to justify inaction, amplifying any and all dangers. If there are no dangers, they’ll make some up.
The lazy love to stay at home and do nothing. This truth also appears in Proverbs 26:13. How can you identify laziness? It’s repeated for emphasis. Cowards are lazy and the lazy are cowards. Read on.
Translation
The Hebrew word for “slain,” רשע (rā•šāʽ, pronounced “rah-sha”), refers to “an accident, manslaughter, premeditation, or governmental execution,” says James Swanson in the Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains: Hebrew (e-edition; Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). The sluggard imagines all of these terrible possibilities. It’s not only that he might have an accident in the street or perhaps be bitten by a dog. No. He imagines even more dangerous possibilities. There’s a lion out there just waiting to pounce and savagely devour him. It’s best to stay inside, safe and secure.
The sluggard doesn’t speak of minor nuisances such as bad weather or a barking dog, but manufactures ridiculous reasons to justify inactivity. He sees trouble everywhere and rejects any risk. He convinces himself there’s a lion outside. And who could fault him for avoiding a lion? He’s just being safety conscious. After all, it’s safety first! As one wit said, “No one works, no one gets hurt.”
Slow Death
The sluggard doesn’t recognize the cost of his inactivity—its slow poison. As he hides in his comfort zone, his world shrinks, and his life passes. It’s like the lesson about boiling a frog. If the frog is dropped quickly into boiling water, it immediately jumps out. If the frog is placed in a pot of cool water on a stove, and the heat then turned up, it just sits there. Unawares, it gets accustomed to the rising temperature, until it’s slowly cooked to death. Similarly a sluggard loves his own comfort way too much for his own good, cooking himself in comfort.
There are always risks in every effort. Every business endeavor must be tested eventually in the marketplace. This is true about books, technology, music, works of art: Anything worth doing must be able to withstand public scrutiny. We can imagine great things, but until they are publicly tested and vetted in “the real world,” they remain only our secret scheme, and perhaps, sadly, a deluded sedative!
Is Home Always “Home Sweet Home?”
The sluggard likes to remain at home, maybe even alone in his room. He loves computer games, exercising his imagination, but he’s reluctant to do the real work to get his dreams out into the public forum. He’s unwilling to engage with others—whether in sport or in trade. So if a sluggard is afraid of going out into the street, imagine how reluctant he would be of going into the jungle, where real lions live.
Laziness is closely linked to cowardice and selfishness. Entrepreneurs are usually hard working risk-takers. Courage and industry go together, as do laziness and stinginess. The real danger lurks within the sluggard’s comfort zone. It will hurt him more than the lion outside. Refer to the dangers of excessive sleep, using the keyword “sleep.” Laziness impoverishes and suffocates him in his own little world.