The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside!" or, "I will be murdered in the streets!" (Proverbs 22:13)This proverb illustrates one character flaw common to many of us. We're good at making excuses for playing it safe. I golfed with a friend in Washington who made an excuse for every bad shot... and he hit a lot of bad shots. I hit bad shots too. Do you know why? Because I'm not a very good golfer! My friend was making excuses for trying and failing. Notice the lazy man in this proverb is making excuses for not even trying! If I go out in the streets I may get mauled by a lion! Maybe I better just stay in bed with the covers pulled up over my head. Better safe than sorry.
That's just sad! But I've done it, and I bet you have too. I know this is the right direction for the church, but it might offend someone. Somebody might gripe, or even leave the church over it. Let's just remain "dysfuntional, declining, and ineffective." [1] Better safe than sorry.
In Jesus' words, this is tantamount to wrapping our talent in a cloth and burying it in the backyard (Matthew 25:14-30). When I was a teenager there was a popular inspirational poster picturing a sailing ship on the ocean. The caption read: A ship in a harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.
What were you made for?
[1] Paul C. Borden, Direct Hit (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006), 92.
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