I Don’t Like This Comparison

Proverbs 15:19 (KJV) The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

But then God isn’t asking me if I like it.  He’s just telling me what it is.  This entire chapter of Proverbs is contrasting different types of people.  I have no trouble when it contrasts the upright with the wicked, but here it gets really personal.  This says that the person who takes too many naps is contrasted with the righteous.

Of course, the question comes down to my paraphrasing.  Is sloth the same as too many naps?  And then we get into sophistry.  How many is too many?  Do you know the old question rewritten, “How many naps can dance on the head of a pin?”

But the real conflict is not established by how many part-time jobs you have in the afternoon or whether you keep your yard up perfectly.  The conflict is the one between the person who is following God’s path or taking the side trail that is less demanding and leaves more time for “personal fulfillment”.

So?  It’s never too late to stop and examine your priorities and your schedule.  What do they reflect?  Sloth or righteousness?