The Seven Deadly Sins #4: Sloth

Since slothfulness is the lack of a positive behavior rather than the presence of a negative one, I can imagine this deadly sin is easy to dismiss. There is a difference between slothfulness and idleness. Idleness is a physical laziness that includes carefree lingering while slothfulness is an internal state of mind that includes, in its worst form, rejecting the things of God. I would not think to associate media with the sin of slothfulness but it can be blamed. Television, music, and social media has turned slothfulness from a bad thing to an good thing. Slothfulness lures people into escaping from the worries of the world and to become indifferent to real joy. I often lose myself in this delusion.

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly. Psalm 26:16

Those who lack passion and emotion fool only themselves. They may preform their responsibilities, but deep down their thoughts are weak and thin. It is not that they do or know little, it is that what they do and know affects them little. They simply lack a desire and a will to consider or believe in things of value. While we may not lack passion, I am sure we can all admit there are times when all we want to do is empty our minds of anything worthwhile. We get lost in food, Netflix, or a romance novels. While resting our minds with leisure actives is not a sin, we must be careful that they do not turn what makes us idle into an idol. These are the activities that shield slothfulness. By hiding behind the pleasures of the culture, slothfulness seeks to keep people from thinking at all.

Sluggards are in a scarier place than I thought. Giving up on life is one of the saddest forms of defeat. Sloths, without Jesus, lead a meaningless life tossed around by temporary, yet addictive pleasures of the world. These evils are not necessarily the cause of the person giving up but rather how the sluggard views the world’s evil. The sluggard gives up on life and does not even try to find meaning in it. What a sad and lost way to live. I do not want even a glimpse of this lifestyle.

☎︎

The Girl Next Door