Don’t be a Sluggard

By Andrew Cascio

“As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Vinegar itself is pretty strong and acidic. A little goes a long way. Imagine picking up a cup of it and drinking it. Eventually the acid would take the enamel off your teeth, make them sensitive, and it wouldn't be pleasant. In the same way, a campfire blows smoke into your eyes, it's ok for a little while, but after awhile it begins to burn. Solomon compares this to a lazy person. Whether you are an employer with a lazy employee, a parent with a lazy child, a spouse with a lazy spouse, or a friend who can't count on another friend, it gets old quick. When you rely on someone to do something, and they do it poorly, when you pay someone to help out, and they do it wrong, or when someone says I'll be there, then they don't show up. These things can be irritating like a swig of vinegar or smoke in the eyes.

When someone is relying on you for a purpose, when someone is paying you for a task, show up and do the best you can. If you do a good job people will hire you for other jobs, you will be a blessing on them, and they will continue to want you around. We've all hired someone to do a job and it was done poorly, was that person called back for more work? We've all asked a child to clean their room, just to come back 30 minutes later and see it wasn't completed. Did you get irritated? Have you ever asked a spouse to take out the garbage 3x just to find it still sitting there? Did you feel they didn't listen to you or value your needs?

You may not know how to do something, you can always ask questions and figure out how to do it better. You may not understand something, find someone who knows it and gain knowledge from them. There are certain tasks that each of us has to do, things that God has called us to do, let us not be a sluggard. Let us do them to the best of our abilities, not for man, but for him, and glorify him through it all!