Laziness for me has best been personified by my late grandmother. As a child, I remember vividly staying overnight at her home in Belzoni and being amazed at how adept she was at doing nothing at all. Everyday, she'd sleep in and after rising, she'd make her way to the couch to lie down for a few hours. To further my point, her idea of exercise was using machines that elevate your legs for you. I can remember as a child playing on these dust-covered contraptions out in her junk-filled garage, and even then thinking something was way off with this broad (compared to what I was used to seeing within my own home). And please know, as an aside, as far as everyone knew within the Turner clan, she was in very good physical and mental health for her age.
I would only stay overnight with her if my cousins accompanied me for fear that she might not remember I was actually there with her. Inevitably after an evening stay, she'd task all of her present grandchildren with "helping with the yard work" during the late morning following. She had a stunning, professionally-land / hardscaped backyard that she was very particular about. Therefore, we became her worker bees while she administrated (whilst sipping on a sun tea and at times sunning in her bra / panties and hose).
Now, regarding said yard, she did work in it herself to maintain its form and structure during the growing seasons, but other than that, she always seemed to take great joy in being sedentary whilst living in her big house all alone.
It was as if that MO relative to her life (as I knew it) was actually being lived in light of where we're at - to some degree - (pandemic) today.
Presently, in my bedroom at home, I have a beautiful wooden table that was hers. She claimed that she inherited it from her folks, having used it to put her schoolbag on each afternoon there in Cave City, AR, and I have no reason to doubt that. I look at that table and often wonder what she was like before I knew her as my grandmother. Was she as sedentary as a young women as she was later in life? Based on what little I know of her story, she absolutely may have been.
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Overall, based on what I observed, my grandmother delighted first and foremost in being catered to. She was the baby of the household, and her demands were seemingly always met (she used to brag about being spoiled rotten by her successful businessman father). Eventually she married a young farmer (my grandfather) whom she met whilst visiting - of all places - Belzoni, MS. He was also the baby of his family, and what a wealthy (by Mississippi standards) farming family it was that she soon married into!
Cotton was king back then, and the Turners were quite successful at it there in Humphreys county.
All was well 'till my grandfather died of lung cancer in his early 40s, thanks to his penchant for Camel cigarettes. From there, my grandmother's life as a widow of four small boys now demanded much more of her than she was willing to muster. So, she fought it by lashing out at her in-laws, all the while making accusations that she wasn't being treated / catered to enough to her monetary liking.
The Turner family, in some - if not all - part due to her selfishness, literally sheared apart, and I believe her default "laziness persona" played a sizable role in this. From there, that schism took its toll generationally, and no doubt still exists to this day.
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This "laziness persona" can afflict any and all of us. Though many would argue that catering to a child's desire to be lazy can set in motion lifelong struggles going forward, what of seasons of life - as of today during this pandemic - where the "laziness persona" sets / creeps in?
Let's point out some subtleties here in order to display some talking points.
- Church attendance no more (or at least not in the immediate future)
- Disinterest in perpetuating / cultivating longstanding friendships going forward
- Weight gain / disinterest in physical fitness
- Relaxed attire, especially within formal settings (professional)
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A lot of people, Christian people, are no longer attending church, and not because they're concerned for their health. I fear this will have a long-term impact on the church. If you're not physically present, your "church part" (part you play / role you play in the church) cannot be satiated, nor can you be ministered to as effectively. Facebook Live simply won't cut the mustard in this regard, and the church will suffer. Why sit back and allow Christ's bride to be neglected in this way?
Using the pandemic as an excuse to ignore the hard to love is a pathetic excuse relative to Christian sympathy and grace. Do not do this. How can we love our neighbors as ourselves when we shun our them alright?
Being fat as a Christian reduces influence. We need more influence as Christians, not less. Eat less, move more. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Treat it as such.
Dress in a way that makes you look your best...even during a pandemic.
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