BEING LAZY

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. 

(Ps. 139:3 New Living Translation)

Why is it that some of my laziest days turn out to be the most productive?  Usually, once I wake up in the morning, I’m out of bed, read a short devotional, take a shower, get dressed, make coffee while I eat some breakfast and I am off and running…well, maybe not running, but at least functioning at my normal speed.  Other days, pulling myself out of bed is like pulling teeth, an excruciating experience.  But if I stay in bed and go back to sleep past my usual wake-up time, I feel like an Oregon slug, groping my way through a mud lake of guilt the rest of the day. 

Then there are other days when I give myself permission to “be lazy”; for example, after preparing dinner for a 15 or 20 people.  I purposely don’t set my alarm clock and, if possible, don’t plan anything demanding for the next day.  I may do a few loads of laundry or respond to a few emails, but I’ll usually spend the majority of the day in quiet mode: reading my Bible for a longer than usual period, spending time in prayer, and gazing out my kitchen window, thankful for where I live and all that God has done for me.  Sometimes I’ll take a short brisk walk in this “gone on far-too-long winter weather” or maybe I’ll turn on “Russian Travel Guide.”

These “lazy days” are the times I am surprised by answers to prayer or get a deeper revelation about a scripture or a new idea for a news article or blog post.  Sometimes I’ll get a burst of energy to attack a long postponed “someday I’ll get ‘round-to-it” task.  In times past, I’ve gotten job offers “out of the blue” on several different “quiet” days.  It seems like during these “lazy” resting times, God drops manna from heaven and I feel His strength rising up within me again.  

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to “be lazy” by giving yourself a break from your normal routine and setting aside some time for quiet?