Do Not Grow Lazy

“Do not grow lazy...” Hebrews 6:12

It’s easy to be lazy and wake up late because the nights are cold and it’s delicious to snuggle inside the bed clothes and sleep for another hour. That is exactly what I did this morning. I indulged myself. 

In the letter to the Hebrews, the writer reminds us to always be eager to do our best, that we will not become spiritually dull, sluggish and indifferent. Instead, the writer encourages, we should “follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience”. We should “be strongly encouraged to seize the hope which is placed before us”. 

Recently a friend told me that she was not praying so diligently, because, “What’s the use? Nothing is happening anyway.” It is true that sometimes God does not answer our prayers in the way we ask. He sometimes takes an inordinately long time to change things for us the way we want. Sometimes our trials are too heavy to bear. I always remember the cute story of a little boy following his father around in the supermarket. The boy was carrying a wire basket, and the father was putting groceries into it. A little old lady watching them asked the boy, “Isn’t that too heavy for you?” 

The little boy answered confidently, “My father always knows how much I can carry.” The same is true for our Father in heaven. He knows. He will not give us more than we can bear. But we have to do our part, and carry the load. We must not give up. We must not grow lazy and leave the basket 🧺 or we will not grow in faith, in trusting God, in learning all the lessons our Father wants us to learn. 

We may not see what God is doing in us, but we can be sure that every single day, He walks with us, and uses the events in our life, the people we meet, to bring us closer to Him, if we allow Him. The heavier the burden, the closer our God is to us. 

Father, one day we shall see Your face. And all will become clear, how You loved us through every little and big thing that happened in our life.