Proverbs 26:14
As a door turns on its hinges,
so a sluggard turns on his bed.
There is one form of action a sluggard does well; he turns his body smoothly to the other side in bed. He has got sleeping down pat. Indeed, sleeping is the one activity that he does not have to be cajoled to do. It is his instinct, in his blood.
That instinct is in all of us and is a good instinct. It is sleep that rejuvenates our body for activity. Many people do not get enough sleep through too much activity. Sleep is good, but like with most things, too much of a good thing is bad for us.
The problem of the sluggard is that he is an extremist. He does not practice moderation. He is no different from the alcoholic or workaholic or anyone else obsessed with one activity. His happens to be sleeping. And he must discipline himself like everyone else to practice moderation. Everyone who over engages in an activity does so because he likes it. It is a pleasure he cannot control even when it brings bad consequences. Sleeping can be addictive. So can lying on the couch watching TV. So can any form of goofing off. Taking a break is an activity to control.
How disciplined are you? Do you get enough sleep, but not too much sleep? Do you work hard, but take the necessary breaks (though not too many) to rejuvenate your body? Self-discipline is needed to keep a healthy balance. What do you need to be disciplined about?
Psalm 137
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”
8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks.