The Lazy and The Workaholic

There are two extreme examples of how man can relate to his work. On one hand is laziness-- avoiding work out of selfishness, fear, lack of confidence, depression or apprehension about the future. Of the lazy God says, "As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed." (Proverbs 24:16) "Drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." (Proverbs 23:21) In other words, a lazy man will never get anywhere, he will never have anything, he will have a rough road ahead and it will ultimately destroy him.

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The opposite extreme is workaholism-- obssesing over work to the exclusion of all else and losing one's life in the process. Of the workaholic, God says, "So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain, it takes away the life of its owners." (Proverbs 1:19) "I look on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 2:11) In other words, workaholism is draining and pointless.

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Neither extreme promotes happiness and fulfillment. Only a perfect balance between the two, which God can help a man find will ever bring that quality of life.

This is taken from the book of "The Power of a Praying Wife" by Stormie Omartian, pp. 49 & 50