Bible Verse Friday #37

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:  Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they received from us.  For you know that you ought to imitate us.  We were not idle when we were with you.  We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it.  We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.  We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.  Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will no get to eat." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10

My NLT Life Application Study Bible says the following:

3:6-10 Paul was writing here about the person who is lazy.  Paul explained that when he and his companions were in Thessalonica, they worked hard, buying what they needed rather than becoming a burden to any of the believers.  The rule they followed was, "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat."  There's a difference between leisure and laziness.  Relaxation and recreation provide a necessary and much needed balance to our lives; when it is time to work, however, Christians should jump right in.  We should make the most of our talent and time, doing all we can to provide for ourselves and our dependents.  Rest when you should be resting, and work when you should be working.

As a new Mom you are constantly told to sleep when the baby sleeps.

It can be a hard rule to follow.

In the early days I often caught myself trying to clean up when Bitsy napped.

I regretted it later when I was dragging and had a baby to care for.

I have since learned a better balance and now when she naps I can make the educated decision to nap or clean.

Often I clean when she is awake...I vacuum in the moments before she is ready to lay down.

I fold laundry as she is laying in her crib fighting off the sleep she so craves.

Then when she is asleep I try to tackle a few other tasks.

There are days though when I nap while she naps, or at the very least I sit down and relax while she naps.

Leisure vs laziness.

We are often critiqued by how we spend our down time.

We are considered lazy if we watch television or nap instead of tackling to do lists.

It's an important balance though that we must strike between working and relaxing.

You must allow yourself down time so that you can perform at your peak when it is time.

Obviously I don't have a 'normal' office job anymore.

So it's hard for me to say that I work really hard from this time to that time.

But many of you do have jobs.

You get up in the morning, go to the office, work a full day, and then come home.

It can be easy to fall into the habit that once you get home leisure time begins.

There is still work to be done.

Houses need tidying, our bodies need to be exercised, and so on and so forth.

However, at a certain point in the day it is okay to say....the work is done.

Find time to enjoy life.

Watch television.

Read a book.

Sit on the porch and watch the kids play.

How do you balance your work vs home life?

How do you ensure you spend your leisure time leisurely?

Do you think you are lazy?

If so how can you remedy this?

Start taking small steps today to get yourself organized.

Work when you need to work and do so with all your heart and soul.

Rest and relax when you need to and do it also with all your heart and soul.

I hope you had a Blessed Friday!