Is There Really a Lion?

Scripture: Proverbs 22:13 – “The lazy person says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” (NRSVue)

My wife is Episcopalian, and there is a confession from the Book of Common Prayer that I have always felt does a good job of succinctly describing a variety of sins. “Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.” The part that always strikes me is that sin is just as much about what you do not do as it is about what you do.

There is also a famous quote, falsely attributed to Edmund Burke which says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” We can see that inaction is really bad. So why don’t we do things that show our love of God and neighbor?

The reasons are not always straightforward, and I think this verse from the Book of Proverbs demonstrates this. “The lazy person says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” To proclaim that there is a lion who will kill you in the streets is a statement of fear. There is something awful that will happen if you stick your neck out, so remaining home in a safe place is what is best. A book like Psalms might show faith in the Lord as the remedy to this kind of fear. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” But Proverbs takes a more scolding tone. To its author, this is not a sign of fear but of laziness.

How much inaction is because of fear and how much from laziness? Do you not act because you are afraid of being hurt or of losing the comforts that you have? I think that this is the most important question we must ask ourselves when we see a problem in our society or people in need and never quite get around to helping them.

Ask yourself today, “Why I am not doing that one thing that I am dreading to do?” Are you afraid? Are you being lazy? Think about what you are going to lose if you do it. Is it something you can stand to lose? It may even be a good thing if you lose a habit or a priority that keeps you from the path of love.

Keep your mind on Jesus and pray for his strength and courage. He will lift you up when you would sag and will guide you to the love that brings hope and peace to you and your neighbor.

Prayer: Grant me courage, O Lord, to face my fears and walk out of my front door, no matter what may be in the streets. Amen.