Idle Idols

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Idle Idols

by Nadolyn Lee

In college, I remember my psychology professor telling our class that every evening when he got home from work, he would watch one episode of the popular ’90s comedy sitcom, “Wings.” This was time that his brain needed to think of absolutely nothing. Throwing the mind into neutral is important with all the demands placed upon us, but at what point does idle become an idol?

In 2 Thessalonians 5:14, Paul speaks on the coming of the Lord to the church of Thessalonica. Do you find it strange that he would address idleness in his final instruction on the coming of the Lord? Many believers were so convinced the Second Coming was near that they quit their jobs in order to prepare for it. Paul needed this group to get back to work and be productive. There have been times that work has been the best therapy for my hardships. The sooner I got back to work, the quicker I refocused and gained better perspective through normal daily activity.

We can have full-time jobs and still allow idleness to become an idol in our lives. How can we tell if our leisure time is more than a time to decompress but has become an idol that consumes more of our time than God does? To answer that, let’s take a look at two passages that help us to clarify idleness. In Matthew 7:16 Jesus says, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” The good fruit in our lives is indicative of how active we are in our faith.

The second verse that helps us identify if we are idle is Romans 2:6: “God will give to each person according to what he has done.” When I am accountable to the Lord for what I did with my time on earth, I don’t think re-watching episodes of “Law and Order” or scrolling endlessly on social media will be worthy of reward. On a side note, I am convinced that “Law and Order” hypnotizes viewers so they will not remember the ending, causing them to watch them over and over. We can evaluate our level of passiveness or activity as it relates to our faith by asking these questions:

What is the good fruit that is evident in my life? Is more of my time spent doing or observing?

Passive does not describe the believer who is living in obedience to the great commission: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” The key word there is

“go.” As we daily reflect on our obedience to the Gospel, we must take into account our action. Living out the Word requires action, and action requires some down time to rest and rejuvenate. Idleness is only an idol if our time spent in passivity outweighs our action. Proverbs 31 characterizes a woman of action. Do the verbs in this chapter describe you? She makes, she speaks, she watches, she sees, she supplies, and she does not eat the bread of idleness.

About The Author

Nadolyn Lee is a graduate of Berry College with her Masters and Education Specialist Degree from LMU. She has taught elementary music for twenty-three years in the North Georgia area. Creator of ‘Dirt Road Believer’ YouTube Channel, Nadolyn produces Christian devotions every Tuesday and Thursday. She is an author, songwriter, and director for children’s musical theater in her community of Summerville, GA. She and her husband of eighteen years, Adam, have four teenage children. Nadolyn co-founded and runs the local chapter of Helping Hands Ending Hunger, INC that feeds hungry students and their families over the weekend.