The Sluggard's Field

“I walked past a lazy man’s field, and it was full of weeds and thorns.” — from Proverbs 24

Wise King Solomon went for a walk one day, and he stopped to look at a little farm. Oh dear — what a mess it was! Prickly weeds and thistles grew everywhere. You could hardly see the ground.

Now, the man who owned that field was not a wicked man. He never planted a single weed. So how did it get so full of them?

Here is the answer, and it is a bit surprising. He didn’t do anything at all! He was lazy. He never pulled the weeds, and he never planted good seeds. And do you know what? A field never stays empty. If you don’t grow good plants in it, weeds grow all by themselves. Nobody has to plant weeds — they just come.

Your heart is a little like that field. The good things you do — saying your prayers, being kind, telling the truth, obeying — those are like good plants growing. But if you stop doing the good things and just do nothing, other things grow instead, all on their own. Grumpiness. Unkind words. Forgetting about God.

So don’t wait! Don’t say, “I’ll be good tomorrow.” The lazy man always said “tomorrow,” and his whole field turned to weeds. Plant a good seed today — a kind word, a little prayer — and let it grow.

Dear God, help me not to be lazy. Help me to plant good things in my heart today, and not wait until tomorrow. Amen.