Road rules

When our children hear and see our teaching and adopt the truth as their own, God’s success follows. The challenge with success is not the desire to be successful but the paths we take to reach the desired destination.

The sluggard has desires, but they are unwilling to put in the work to make them happen. They are too lazy to get the education, training, and experience to achieve what they want, so they look for shortcuts.

Excuses. Excuses. Excuses. The sluggard is full of them. “I am overqualified.” “I am underqualified.” “That’s too challenging.” “That’s not challenging enough.” “I am waiting for the perfect job that fits my gifts and training perfectly.”

The sluggard’s failure not only leaves a sour taste in our mouths; they also paralyze our progress. Ever get a face full of smoke? You are blinded until the smoke goes away and your eyes stop burning.

Laziness puts a person and all their dependents at risk. Idleness will not provide for the needs of today. Working half-heartedly will jeopardize the wherewithal to meet the needs of tomorrow.

Laziness produces poverty—in all areas of life. It keeps us from being all God intended us to be, whether at home, work, or worship. Laziness is a lack of discipline that will keep us out of shape physically and spiritually. Poverty, in all forms, will come upon us “like a robber” and steal the blessings of God.

Scripture describes those who refuse repeated warnings as “stiff-necked.” Their pride will not allow them to “bend” to others. They will live life in their time frame and on their terms. It will seem to them, for a while at least, that they were right and everybody else was wrong.

We can’t always control how our children will respond. Sometimes they will need to learn life’s lessons through their own failures. But, parents, never give up on them even when it seems like they are not listening. The older they get, the smarter you get.

We are all “prone to wander,” and the decision we make when confronted is multi-layered. The decision not only impacts us but those around us. When we heed instruction, we show the “path to life” for others. When we ignore reproof, we lead “others astray.” It’s a pretty big decision, isn’t it?