My grandmother would often tell us children, " idle hands do the devils work. " I have heard this " proverb " in several forms .All of them are saying the same thing. Contrary to popular belief it is not in the Bible per se. There are verses one could relate to the concept. At any rate, I grew up hearing that. When I was young I just thought it was a way Grandma got us to do some chore. The implication was clear, even to a five year old, maybe even more so, being idle would lead you to wrongdoing. The devil was sure to get to you if you weren't on your guard at all times. By staying busy, doing something constructive and good, you could stave off his advances. The devil has no power against those doing the work of God ! It sure sounded right and reasonable to a five year old. I would say that it is a truth that can not be denied.
Over the years I have often thought about what grandma was really trying to tell us. I have reached the conclusion that she was in essence speaking to our spiritual side. I think what she meant was if you allow yourself to be idle, that is, not doing the work of the lord, what work would you be doing ? The answer is an obvious one. What we call today a, no brainer. The question then is what is the work of the lord ? Again that answer is a no brainer. The work of the lord, that is, the work he expects all of us to do is clearly spelled out in our Bibles. If we follow that guidance, every day, the devil will be kept at bay. You may chose to look at God and the Devil metaphorically, the results would be the same. As long as you follow the precepts in the Bible that is.
I see movement away from the precepts of the Bible. Too many idle hands in my opinion. And just as Grandma taught, the devils work is being done. Man has used his intellect to find easier,faster ways of accomplishing those everyday mundane tasks. This in turn has lead to more free time, idle time one might say. Idleness leads to boredom and boredom to mischief. Isn't that why when the children become quiet we check to see what they have gotten into ? The work of the devil is best done with stealth and silence. The desire for material goods. Those material goods can only be gained by an increase in money. Now idle hands are busy trying to increase wealth. Is that the lords' work ? Well suffice to say you can't buy your way into heaven. Even the internet, which can be a tremendous tool for good, is being used in devilish ways. A veritable devils playground in fact !
Now that old proverb was designed to teach us a valuable life lesson. That lesson is a simple one, stay busy doing good, and you don't have time to do the bad. Mans' greatest returns come from helping his fellow man. That help may take many forms and is not always obvious to us. Just doing your job, whatever that occupation may be, is helping your fellow man. You should do that job well. Be constructive and be helpful. Doing what is correct requires no explanations. It is only when we are doing the work of the devil, the bad, that we feel the necessity to justify those actions. That is when we feel " caught. " Caught doing what we know we should not be doing. And what lead us to that behavior ? Idle hands ? Yes that, and an idle soul I would add. Just as the work of our hands exercise our body, so too the soul needs exercise. If we allow the soul to remain " idle " it will wither and become weak. Strength of character is another way to put that. Is our character not our soul ? It is what we are.
Grandma was a wise lady. A lady that raised ten children of her own. She worked, doing other peoples laundry, well into her seventies. She was kind, gentle and soft spoken. Never asking for much in the way of material goods and never idle. She was an example of what she preached. Grandma kept us children busy, helping. The truth is she was caring for our bodies and souls. It may have seemed different at times, when we had to fetch the firewood or bring in the laundry, but our hands were not idle. We were rewarded, usually with a treat of some kind, and believe me Grandmas' pastry was like heaven. There was a lesson being taught there. It may have taken a while for the lesson to become clear, but the lesson was taught. That lesson is responsibility. We are responsible for our own actions and happiness. That happiness is determined by the path we follow. Stay busy doing good and you won't have time for the bad. Very simple.
Over the years I have often thought about what grandma was really trying to tell us. I have reached the conclusion that she was in essence speaking to our spiritual side. I think what she meant was if you allow yourself to be idle, that is, not doing the work of the lord, what work would you be doing ? The answer is an obvious one. What we call today a, no brainer. The question then is what is the work of the lord ? Again that answer is a no brainer. The work of the lord, that is, the work he expects all of us to do is clearly spelled out in our Bibles. If we follow that guidance, every day, the devil will be kept at bay. You may chose to look at God and the Devil metaphorically, the results would be the same. As long as you follow the precepts in the Bible that is.
I see movement away from the precepts of the Bible. Too many idle hands in my opinion. And just as Grandma taught, the devils work is being done. Man has used his intellect to find easier,faster ways of accomplishing those everyday mundane tasks. This in turn has lead to more free time, idle time one might say. Idleness leads to boredom and boredom to mischief. Isn't that why when the children become quiet we check to see what they have gotten into ? The work of the devil is best done with stealth and silence. The desire for material goods. Those material goods can only be gained by an increase in money. Now idle hands are busy trying to increase wealth. Is that the lords' work ? Well suffice to say you can't buy your way into heaven. Even the internet, which can be a tremendous tool for good, is being used in devilish ways. A veritable devils playground in fact !
Now that old proverb was designed to teach us a valuable life lesson. That lesson is a simple one, stay busy doing good, and you don't have time to do the bad. Mans' greatest returns come from helping his fellow man. That help may take many forms and is not always obvious to us. Just doing your job, whatever that occupation may be, is helping your fellow man. You should do that job well. Be constructive and be helpful. Doing what is correct requires no explanations. It is only when we are doing the work of the devil, the bad, that we feel the necessity to justify those actions. That is when we feel " caught. " Caught doing what we know we should not be doing. And what lead us to that behavior ? Idle hands ? Yes that, and an idle soul I would add. Just as the work of our hands exercise our body, so too the soul needs exercise. If we allow the soul to remain " idle " it will wither and become weak. Strength of character is another way to put that. Is our character not our soul ? It is what we are.
Grandma was a wise lady. A lady that raised ten children of her own. She worked, doing other peoples laundry, well into her seventies. She was kind, gentle and soft spoken. Never asking for much in the way of material goods and never idle. She was an example of what she preached. Grandma kept us children busy, helping. The truth is she was caring for our bodies and souls. It may have seemed different at times, when we had to fetch the firewood or bring in the laundry, but our hands were not idle. We were rewarded, usually with a treat of some kind, and believe me Grandmas' pastry was like heaven. There was a lesson being taught there. It may have taken a while for the lesson to become clear, but the lesson was taught. That lesson is responsibility. We are responsible for our own actions and happiness. That happiness is determined by the path we follow. Stay busy doing good and you won't have time for the bad. Very simple.
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