How many times do I become sinfully angry with a child because they need my hands-on redirection, and I don't want to walk across the room? How many times do I raise my voice when I should have just raised my bottom off the seat I was in? How often have I lost my patience when I simply didn't want to be bothered from the comfort of whatever I was doing at the time?

Let’s get really honest. What are some of my greatest failings as a wife and mother?

I am quick to anger.
I yell in my anger.
I am impatient.
I want things to go the way I wanted or expected them to.

What are some traps I commonly find myself snared in?

I grow weary of being touched.
I grow weary of always pouring into everyone else, and it never seeming like enough.
I grow weary of the noise and chatter.
I grow weary of someone always needing something from me.
I grow weary of doing the same tasks, that are immediately undone, day in and day out.

And so what do these sins and these traps have in common? Laziness. Put another way: I often lack the self-discipline to do what I ought to do rather than what I feel like doing.

So yes, I'm lazy. And my laziness inclines me to focus on my own comfort, in each moment, rather than the benefit of the discipline or attention needed. My laziness tells me it's easier to stay how I am than to be reworked into a new position—a better place with a better promise. My laziness tells me that it’s fine to avoid encouragement and instead default to selfish criticism.

But the real issue behind all of this is not just laziness itself. The root problem is that I lack the self-discipline to seek God's Presence. When I don't have the discipline to spend time with God, I walk around filled up with problems, concerns, and cares, rather than being filled up with truth, goodness, and peace. When I don't require myself to seek His Presence, I also don't require myself to walk in the ways He has directed me. And when I am spiritually empty, every little frustration feels magnified.

What God Says About Laziness

Laziness in controlling our temper and tongue:

"This you know, my beloved brethren, But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;" – James 1:19
"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city." – Proverbs 16:32

Laziness in our work:

"Whoever is lazy regarding his work is also a brother to the master of destruction." – Proverbs 18:9
"Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave." – Proverbs 12:24

Maybe all of that steps on your toes. It certainly does mine. Especially the reminder that my laziness can make me a “brother to the master of destruction.” Egads! And that toe-crunching is precisely why I have such a tendency to avoid consistent time with God. When I'm farthest from His presence, I am most comfortable in my sin. My enemy whispers that the constant pursuit of my own comfort is far better than anything God has for me if I draw near to Him. But those whispers are lies—every last one of them.

The Truth About Diligence

The truth is that God has incredible things waiting for me on the other side of obedience and diligent work:

Reward for the diligent:

"The diligent person will rule, but the slothful will become a slave." – Proverbs 12:24
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me." – Proverbs 8:17

Diligence in prayer and attitude:

"Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Diligence in work:

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." – 1 Corinthians 15:58
"Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." – Colossians 3:23

These are the things the enemy loathes me to remember. He wants me to forget the fruit of hard work, the joy of faithfulness, and the blessings that come from self-forgetfulness. The fact of the matter is this: the enemy only has the power to woo me away from God’s promises when I’ve already chosen to stop reaching for them on my own.

Meeting God in the Work

The thing about God's promises—His peace, His strength, His JOY—is that they are always found in HIM. With Him. Through Him. The only way I receive them is by meeting Him daily. And that, my friends, is the ongoing work of our faith.

So let’s make it practical:

When I choose to get up off the couch instead of yelling across the room, I am choosing diligence over laziness.
When I choose to correct my child calmly instead of snapping in anger, I am exercising the fruit of the Spirit.
When I choose to open my Bible before I open social media, I am feeding my soul instead of numbing it.
When I choose to serve with a grateful heart instead of sighing over another undone chore, I am walking in obedience.

These small, daily decisions add up. They are the bricks that build a life lived in God’s presence.

A Final Reminder

Let us remember His exhortations:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." – Galatians 6:9
"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders." – Deuteronomy 6:6-8

Let’s meet God today, right where we are, and be strengthened by His presence to do the hard things. Not because we always feel like it, but because His Word calls us to it and His Spirit equips us for it.

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