OUT TO PASTOR: After all, it is Monday

I do not consider myself lazy. I think of myself as an Energy Conservative. I am saving my energy for sometime down the road when I may need it, and who knows when.

This, however, is not the opinion of the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. She works hard, which I do not mind, except she expects me to keep up with her.

I enjoy slouching around, busily engaged in doing nothing. I have become an expert in this, which has become more than a hobby with me.

Occasionally my wife will say, “What are you doing right now?”

To which I answer, “Nothing.”

Her response is, “I thought so. Could you come and help me now?”

I guess everybody has their own definition of “nothing.” To be sure, my wife’s definition is not the same as mine. At this point, I am not quite sure who has the right definition.

Some people have the idea that if you are doing nothing, you are being lazy. I like to contradict that. Nothing and lazy are two different things. Don’t ask me the difference because I’m not quite sure I could explain the difference, I’m just too lazy.

The best day of the week for me to be lazy is Monday. Weekends are always busy with church work and such that Monday is a wonderful time to chill out and unwind.

Over the years, I have become an expert in this weekend recovery exercise.

I guess everybody is lazy to some degree. Again, it depends on your definition of lazy. Everybody needs an opportunity to relax a little and get ready for the next activity.

The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage has a different idea about this. If you are up and it is daylight, you have to be working and doing something. “You can sleep tonight when you go to bed,” is one of her famous sayings.

I’m not against work at all. I just do not want my work to interfere with those lazy moments so predominant in my life. I schedule my work around my laziness as much as possible.

After all, what is wrong with being lazy? I know, as my wife has reminded me, that there is work that must be done. Yet, there are times when we need to live above our work schedule. Or, maybe live below it, I’m not sure.

I try to take Monday’s off and schedule nothing that day. I’m not always successful, I will admit. But it is not because I do not try.

We had come through six or seven weeks of work every day. Just when I wanted to take a day off something came up and I had a cancel my day off and focus on the work before me.

It was a Thursday afternoon and I came into the house, sat down in my chair and in a few moments found myself sleeping.

Actually, my wife found me sleeping.

“You’re not sleeping?” she asked.

It startled me and I woke up and saw her there and gently said, “No, my dear. I was praying for you and the kids and the grandkids.”

She smiled very graciously and said, “Okay, that’s quite all right, keep praying.”

I was so excited that I got something over on her that I could not go back to sleep. I was so glad that it worked. I plan to use that ploy in the future.

Several weeks ago, we had a very busy weekend. Not only church programs but also other activities that took up most of Saturday. Come Monday morning I was completely worn out. I said to myself as I got out of bed, “I’m going to practice my lazy exercises all day today.”

I went out, sat in my chair and just relaxed. It felt so good. Of course, only people who work hard can appreciate those lazy moments. I was appreciating my lazy moment.

I then heard the front door open and in came my wife who had been shopping for groceries. She looked at me and said, “You’re not still in that chair doing nothing, are you?”

I could not use the prayer strategy because my eyes were open watching TV. Looking at her with a grin all over my face I said, “I’m exercising my lazy rights. After all, it is Monday.”

She smiled back, went into the kitchen and began putting away the groceries. I leaned back in my chair and said to myself, “Isn’t lazy something special!”

It was then that I thought about a verse in Genesis. “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made” (Genesis 2:2).

Even God ended his work and rested one day during the week. He is my example.

Dr. James L. Snyder, pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage in Ocala, FL. Call him at 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net . The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com.