“A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers but the path of the upright is an open highway.” – Proverbs 15:19

Exhaustion is being drained of strength and energy. When we find ourselves worn out, it could be a sign of the sneaky sin of sloth. Rest is essential for our sanity. Spiritual growth is stunted when we neglect to rest in the Lord, spending time with Him in prayer and His Word. Grace is a free gift that allows us to experience the incredibly close relationship we can have with God through Jesus. Quiet time should not be another task we add to our list of things to check off, but something we look forward to resting in. The sneaky sin of sloth distracts us, causing us to mismanage our time, possibly working very hard, just at the wrong things or the right things in the wrong order. Meditating on the following verses can help us remember to rest in Him. 

“I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.” – Psalm 85:8

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” – Psalm 46:10

Sloths are cute animals, and we marvel at how slowly they move. Moving slowly is okay if we listen to the Lord’s lead. Sloth is only one sin of so many we battle daily. There’s no condemnation if we find ourselves guilty of these things. God, in His grace, allows us to see and turn from these behaviors so that we can enjoy a deeper fellowship with Him. 

When I’m out running in the morning, and it starts to become too hard, I’ve tried to instill the following habits of reaction. First, I immediately smile and remind myself I’m grateful to be running after so many struggles with injury. Two, I say, “More of You, less of me.” To run to bring glory to myself is futile, like anything else we do. But, if I am purposeful to yield to God, I find myself enjoying everything …not just running …more. When we become aware, by the power of the Holy Spirit to alert us, of sin in our lives, we don’t need to run and hide from God or feel ashamed. We simply need to take a deep breath, smile and remind ourselves of the free gift of grace, and allow God to help us turn from whatever is ailing us, so we can bring glory to Him. There is joy in the realizing and the turning, too. 

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/lzf

Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and “Sent, Faith in Motion.” Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.