"We do not want you to become lazy..."

Continuing to read Hebrews 6:7-12
"We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."

Since at least the sixth century the church has thought of laziness (sloth) as one of the "seven deadly sins." This spiritual problem has been thought about so much over the years that it has been given a technical name: "acedia." Acedia is a Greek word that refers to the malaise, or sluggishness of spirit, that lies unexamined in a person's life. Laziness is the symptom, the light on the dashboard, that warns of the presence of the problem.

This is a laziness that can be present in the context of a very busy life, a life filled with activity and far reaching goals. The specific reference of this laziness is our lack of love for God that results in our neglect of "helping his people and continuing to help them." We don't love God if we don't love what God loves, and God loves people. I can easily make the case that God also loves what I'm most interested in, of course he does, but that is not the issue here. The issue here is that "God so loved the world that he gave...". I am being challenged to get in touch with what God "so loved...". The specific object of his giving was the lost, broken, wounded souls that he created to live in fellowship with him.

This is a deep challenge for me. It is not opposed to my nature (I was created in the image of God, to be like him), but it is opposed to my history (which I'll spare you). The roots of acedia are not biological but historical whether viewed in terms of the individual or the entire sweep of human life on this planet. Courage is required to turn our backs on a history that feeds the malaise. Others have found the way through: "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." We may begin by imitating but we will end by inheriting. Love can be learned and it can dispel the gloomy spirit. Carry on with "faith" and "patience."