Being Idle

Day 226

At our conference yesterday one of the speakers brought up the dangers of being idle. Then she said with confidence, "You can do better Sisters." My initial feeling was, "Who are you to say I can do better? You don't know my struggles or how hard it is just for me to get out of bed some days. Besides, nobody is going to die if the laundry doesn't get done that day, or I don't bleach the bathtub." But once my defensiveness wore off a little I realized I was viewing her words from too small a perspective. She wasn't talking about springing into action as far as our laundry and dishes are concerned. She wasn't suggesting we're wasting our days watching TV or playing on the Internet when we should be scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets. She was reminding us of the fact that this is our one and only mortal experience on this earth. This is our one chance to use these bodies we've been blessed with in every way possible- for the service of others, for the opportunity to grow and learn, to experience pleasure and joy. She was strongly suggesting we avoid the tempting distractions that all of us have, and instead, share our god-given talents and live.

The whole thing made me really evaluate my purpose here. Certainly my calling in life isn't to wake up every single day only to perform the exact same tasks, over and over. I am supposed to be learning something! I'm supposed to be purposefully evolving instead of just passively waiting for something to happen. The fact that I felt defensive when she said those words only proves that I am guilty of being idle. Living an idle life means that you're okay with not choking every single experience out of this life. It means that you're no longer, or at least temporarily, not concerned with making this world a better place. And I am NOT okay with that!

Janet