# 49: What is Public Enemy Number One?

Is it the war on terror? No. Is it the Iraq war that is out of control? No. Is it the drug problem in America? No. Is it our national debt? No. Is it the decline in morality (free sex)? No. Is it the problem of obesity? No. Is it the rising price of oil and gas? No. Is it global warming? No. Then what is public enemy number one? It has been with us so long that it is not recognized. It is laziness.

To many, if not most people, being called lazy is worse than being called a dirty four-letter-word. Why is that? In a way, it is as bad as being labeled a sex offender. It is a word that is never mentioned in the media and seldom mentioned in books. It is an extremely sensitive word that is used mostly in a derogatory or insulting way. In fact, most of us will not admit to the many ways we ourselves may be lazy. Our whole commercial establishment is geared toward capitalizing on our lazy human nature. Everything is advertised as being faster, easier, more efficient, etc.

We live in an “I want it now” generation. If, by some chance, we don’t have the money, we will charge it. Of course, it is true that some people are lazier than others. But the worst thing about laziness is that it is almost impossible to recognize and even harder to eradicate. Yes, we are all born lazy. As we mature into adults, our family environment and upbringing will dictate, to a large degree, just how lazy we will end up. To reiterate what was written in an earlier post, laziness in this modern age can be tolerated to a degree, but in most areas, it has hidden and devastating consequences. Of course, though it is not labeled as laziness, enjoying “The Good Life” or “The American Dream” is one example.

People can be hard workers and still be extremely lazy. That sounds like an oxymoron. We may work full steam ahead on the job or in our own business just to get ahead, and then enjoy a lazy life of leisure off the job. Let me mention only a few of the consequences of being lazy and then I will get to the spiritual aspects. Of course, poverty in most cases is evidence of laziness; being out of shape for lack of exercise leads to a myriad of sicknesses and diseases; not finding time to cook leads to restaurant eating (good-tasting food but not too healthy); using all our automatic appliances robs us of exercise; being mentally lazy (many would rather watch T. V. or a movie than read or learn more about ourselves and our world, which can lead to Alzheimer’s before one’s time); many would rather drive the car than walk or ride the bike, wasting gas along with causing wear and tear on the car. I could go on and on with this list, but it won’t do much good because we live in a society where laziness is a result of living in an affluent society. You may say, “Can’t we find time for fun things?” I say that we can have a lot of fun doing constructive things. Again, as I mentioned, we have labeled and made laziness into a good thing (leisure).

As I have already mentioned briefly in this blog, the real public enemy number one is in the spiritual realm because of this kind of Christian mindset: since I am saved, born again, and going to heaven, why should I do this or that if I don’t have to when I am still going to heaven? We must remember that the evil one is smarter than a fox and much more deceptive than any human can imagine because his evil and lazy desires are ingrained in our human nature. Allowing people who claim to be Christians to fall into the devil's laziness trap is his main line of deception. There is not even an inch of room for laziness in Christianity. I can just hear some saying, “Well, that is something new."

Another aspect of Christianity is that many of us have the wrong motive for being Christians: going to Heaven and avoiding hell—whatever that will consist of, other than an absence of God. The real motive should/must be love and obedience as a result of God's grace and our belief in what God said and who He is, through Christ. Wrong motives will most certainly lead to the wrong place. If these last few words are not a wake-up call for the masses, nothing is. Here is a thought that might help some to walk the straight and narrow: Since belief in God may be here today and possibly gone tomorrow—who really knows?—the following is an excellent mindset: pretend there is no Heaven or hell (no eternity). You are only a Christian because you desire to live as God commands, because He knows what the best life is for us. That way one can’t lose. Following His ways allows us to reach our greatest spiritual genetic potential.

Living the Christian life as the New Testament dictates may not seem the best because there will be hardships and other disagreeable circumstances. But here is where trust, faith and belief come into play. If we have them, we will win. And if God decides you and I are worthy of His presence, so be it. If not, while at it, let us invest in an eternal lazy-boy air-conditioner. Ha-ha. The punch line is this: avoid laziness in Godly matters, and we will be on the right track.