“Woe to you who are at ease…who put far off the day of doom…who lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches…who sing idly…who drink wine from bowls, and anoint yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph…. Therefore they shall now go captive and those who recline at banquets shall be removed.” Amos 6:1-6

The Captivity of Idleness

Part One

My mom says that I am in perpetual motion. She notices when I actually sit down for a few minutes; when I stand up again, she says, “There she goes!” It’s all in fun, but I’ve been thinking about it.

In the late 1970’s, I read a book by Tim Hansel entitled When I Relax, I Feel Guilty. Someone probably gave it to me to read, and the title stuck with me, because I still think about it some forty years later. I don’t remember anything from the book, but it’s not hard to imagine its contents.

I have a lot to do. In spite of this—or perhaps because of it—I also take time to relax. And I don’t feel guilty about it. My body and age, along with certain health issues, demand it. In all honesty, I would rather sit, read, and write all day long. I dread having to prune the roses, weed the garden, and sweep the deck.

But I don’t want to get caught in a trap. I don’t want to be taken captive by relaxation and idleness, tending mainly to my own wants yet not noticing those who are afflicted or troubled in this life. In today’s scripture, the Lord condemns idleness, particularly inaction that results in not caring for the needy, and you could easily recite other scriptures that tell us the same thing.

“We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11 NIV).

“Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to” (1 Timothy 5:13 NIV).

What does the word “idle” mean, besides “not working”? It means leading an undisciplined life; leisure; lazy; shunning (work that should be done); inactive; ineffective; unproductive.

These last two definitions got to my heart: ineffective and unproductive. I’d regret it if, because of idleness, my life left no godly legacy. I’d hate to live my final years knowing I had been ineffective. Remorse would be my constant companion if I had produced nothing of eternal value in my long walk with the Lord.

Tomorrow, I will share one sure cure given in a passage of scripture.

Father, may we not be in bondage to the leisure of laziness; may we not be taken captive by inactivity; may we learn to work for You and not serve our ease or pleasures. Amen.