We were created to work. And there’s a certain joy being active and pushing ourselves to accomplish great things. We can then feel guilty in seasons in which there’s not much to do. But this shifting into a lower gear is not necessarily lazy. It might just be our season of winter.
In nature, spring is a busy season of gearing up, while summer is in full bloom, and fall is busy in its own right preparing for winter. And winter is then a season of rest. Not much is happening on the surface and some animals hibernate. But it would be a mistake to assume this inactivity or slower pace of winter is laziness. It’s an intentional and needed season like the rest. And the same is true for us.
For instance, perhaps early in our careers we felt stretched thin, but now we feel like we’re just going through the motions. Or after an intense season in our marriage things seem to be just coasting now. Or maybe there was a project we were passionate about, but now we much rather just stay home.
Of course, laziness might be the culprit behind these shifts. And we should thoughtfully consider if this is the case. At the same time, we should not equate a slower pace with laziness. This might indeed be our winter – our season of rest and renewal.
And we miss the blessing of this season when we assume we should always be busy and maintain the same intensity of life in every season. God shows us rhythms of work and rest in nature that we would do well to follow ourselves. And we will eventually burn ourselves out when we attempt to do otherwise.
In the end, work hard and avoid laziness at all costs. But don’t confuse a season of slowing down with laziness. While winter is slow and restful, it’s not lazy.
Photo by Alain Wong on Unsplash
