You’ve heard the old saying: “Idle hands are the
devil’s workshop”! Does it say that in
the Bible? No, not in those words. There is good solid advice in the Bible that
addresses idleness. “Besides, they get
into the habit of being idle and go about from house to house. And not only do
they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought
not to”. 1 Timothy 5-13 is being idle
doing nothing? Or, is idleness being able to do anything? No, again!
2 Thessalonians 3:11 says: “We hear that some of you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord
Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.” Work for a living. An idler or busybody is one who doesn’t work
and ends up filling his/her time with less than helpful activities, like
gossip, rumors and hear-say. This
behavior tears people down. If you find
your nose in another person’s business, it might get bloody, broken—or
worse. Look for a task to do for Christ
or your family, and get to work. “If a
man will not work, he shall not eat”. 2 Thessalonians 3:10
You are familiar by now with the story of old Rip Van
Winkle aren’t you? Social media is considering whether to vote old Rip as
Emperor or Chiefee. In case you’ve been napping for a generation, we’ll recap
the story for you. And please, remind yourself occasionally, that its just that
– a story. Its a complex little story about an escapist fantasy. It seems that
Rip Van Winkle was a middle-aged man who lived in America around the mid
1750’s. His favorite things to do were to hang out with his friends, talk about
current events with his friends, watch the world go by and avoid the company of
his wife. Rip was an extreme form of a deadbeat, and his wife an extreme nag.
It wasn’t in Rip’s nature to work through conflict he always chooses flight
over fight. You may have guessed Rip is an extremely passive person.
Seems that one day he strolled up the hill to take a
nap in the shade and fell sound asleep. So soundly that he slept for 20 years.
He woke up with a long beard and no idea what had happened. Everything had
changed, including him. But before long he learns to adjust and begins to live
his life in the exact same fashion as before. Eat, drink, and be as merry as
you can.
Today Rip would qualify to be an example of an
unemployed couch potato, knocking back some lite brews, dipping into the chip
bowl, watching his favorite sports cable channel, checking the blogosphere for
his favorite blogs while waiting for his monthly mental-disability government
check. Rip knew how to ‘kick back’ and
relax. Don’t forget, Rip’s not a real
character, but you might really know a few Rip’s.
The only thing that ever mattered to Rip was skating
through life in the easiest fashion possible. Before and after his epic nap,
the only news that ever mattered to Rip was personal. Doesn’t being idle
require a strong sense of personal identity?
What’s in it for me and me alone? The old me, me, me, my, my, my, I, I,
I syndrome! The Bible has absolutely
nothing good to say about idleness and what it does to the human spirit. You
can take this as literary analysis or as an observation. The time spent on
social media must be tempered with good judgment.
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