But what does idle mean? Google’s answer? “avoiding work, lazy” “without purpose or effect” “spending time doing nothing” The devotional book I read had a lot of Bible translations of the Proverbs 31 woman. Here are a few of the translations for the Bible verse on idleness:
She keeps a close eye on the conduct of her household, and she does not eat bread that she did not work for.
Proverbs 31:27 English Heritage Version
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Proverbs 31: 27 New International Version
She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
Proverbs 31:27 Holman Christian Standard Bible
What Does Idleness Mean?
So being idle means doing nothing, avoiding work, or having no purpose. There is a commercial I saw recently that said “If you enjoy the time you wasted, is it really wasted?” I think that avoiding being idle and lazy has more to do with having a purpose and not procrastinating than being busy all the time. If a mother takes the time to focus on listening to her children’s day at school instead of vacuuming the house, is that considered procrastinating? Is a lady who stopped for coffee with a friend she hasn’t seen in a while being lazy? No, she’s focusing on a relationship instead of actual work.
Is Being Busy The Only Way To Not Be Idle?
No, I don’t think so. Proverbs 31:15 says a noble woman gets up before the sun rises to make breakfast for her family. Does she need to be busy and focused all day in order to avoid idleness? No, that is how people burn out. Idleness seems to be more about having time doing nothing, having pointless time. Sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee before your family wakes up or while breakfast is cooking isn’t pointless time. It’s time you need to prepare for the day. Locking your kids out of the bathroom so their father can watch them and you can enjoy a bath alone helps you keep your sanity in a busy house. Taking time for self-care and relaxation is necessary to care for the people around you and keep everyone happy. The problem is when it gets in the way of work, when the relaxation time gets excessive is when it becomes idleness. if your self-care is purely a way to procrastinate the household cleaning, that’s when it becomes laziness.
Intentionally Spent Time Is Not Idleness
Taking me-time and self-care is fine, as long as your other responsibilities are getting done. Working relaxation into the end of your day, after you’ve finished your tasks for the day, is great. It helps you settle down before the next day so you can do your best then too. Setting aside self-care time during the day is fine too, between tasks. Just don’t get so carried away that all you do is relax. Moderation and balance is key to a Christian’s happy life.
