Josh, Jess and I had a good discussion while shopping today.  Some boys Joshua’s age bumped into us as they were running through Coles which lead us to discuss the appropriateness of running or even playing in Coles.  The kids could immediately see (and offered it up themselves without prompting) that it was inappropriate because the boys were not considering all the other people who were there.  I wanted more….

We discussed why they were doing this (what was the heart motivation that lead to this behaviour?) This was tricky and the kids didn’t immediately see the connection. … My point was idle hands lead to foolish decisions. 

We have a principle that the kids have to spend their time wisely, this includes their playtime and even the time they have with their friends (I do let them sit and talk but not endlessly).  My belief is that just “hanging” ends up being idle.

Ec 10:18 – When the owner is lazy, the roof sags; when hands are idle, the house leaks.

The kids don’t “own a house” so what is in this scripture for them…. The house is them, their life.  When they are lazy, when behaviour/choices get sloppy, hands are idle (lazy, nothing to do) then the house (their being, life, behaviour, them…) starts to leak, fall apart.

Examples of things falling apart – inappropriate choices, unwise words, unkind actions, silliness, lack of self-control.

There are many scriptures that talk about the results of idleness, or laziness.