Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Wouldn’t You Rather Be a Sloth?

December 18, 2009 By Sandra Heska King

“I am a sloth.”

A Facebook friend posted this a couple days. I raised my hand. “Me too! Me too!”

Especially when it comes to temple care. Like in diet and exercise. In fact, here’s me getting physical.


This little dude pretty much sums up slothfulness. Inactivity plus. A disinclination to work or exert oneself. Think sloooowwwww. Or not at all.

Sluggard.

Slothfulness is even considered one of the seven deadly sins. Especially if you are spiritually slothful. Not such a great thing. In fact, early Christians apparently thought of it as a surrender to despair.

A German proverb says, “For the diligent, a week has seven days; for the slothful, seven tomorrows.”

Proverbs 10:4 in the Message says, “Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.”

Okay–so slow, lazy, undisciplined, negligent, apathetic. Not so good. I so get that.

But I learned some cool stuff about sloths.

They spend most of their lives upside down. God designed them to have a very good grip.

Sloths can live up to be 30 to 40 years old. Some even stay in the same tree for years. Under the protective branches. Camouflaged by a coating of algae. Not flying out in the open or running around on the ground. They live a simple life.

They are not lazy. Just slow moving. In fact, the sloth is the slowest mammal on earth. It doesn’t live in a state of frantic activity.

They have a low metabolic rate and low body temperature at 91 degrees. So I guess you’d say they seldom get “steamed.”

Because they don’t have a lot of energy, their need for food and water is kept at a minimum. They can be content with little.

Besides the dolphin, the sloth is probably the only other mammal that continually smiles.

A Japan-based, world-wide Sloth Club actually exists, basing its philosophy on the quiet, peaceful, efficient sloth: “less, slower, nonviolent.” We could take a lesson.

And then I found this picture.

And I thought, “Wow!” I don’t want to be slothful. But I do want to be a baby sloth! Nestled and at perfect peace in my Father’s hand.

How about you? Wouldn’t you rather be a sloth?  
“The fool sits back and takes it easy. His sloth is slow suicide.”  Ecclesiastes 4:5 (The Message)

“My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8 (NIV)

Copyright © 2009 by Sandra Heska King

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. ~~Melinda Y.~~ says

    December 18, 2009 at 6:51 am

    I wanna be a baby sloth too! That picture is absolutley beautiful. It captures the image of trust & peace in those hands.(God's not interested in your talents, he's interested in your trust-Max Lucado)

    Blessings Sweet Friend,
    ~M~

  2. Sandra Heska King says

    December 18, 2009 at 8:35 am

    I love Max. He says good stuff.

  3. Mary DeMuth says

    December 19, 2009 at 7:24 pm

    My slothfilled comment made me re-energize and get back to exercising. I'm already feeling better!

  4. Sandra Heska King says

    December 19, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    Funny how that works! Last year at this time I was going to the gym and working with a trainer. Now I just feel like a blimp. I've cleaned the clothes off the treadmill, though. I found my weights. Now to find my waist!

  5. grace says

    December 22, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    wonderful post –good reminder, during this busy season! 🙂

  6. Sandra Heska King says

    December 22, 2009 at 6:10 pm

    Thanks, Grace(e)! It's a tough balance sometimes, isn't it?

  7. David Rupert says

    March 4, 2011 at 9:14 am

    Sandra … you linked to this from my sloth post and I love it. Yes I do want to be a sloth! At least for a day…
    You are funny

    • Sandra says

      March 4, 2011 at 9:30 am

      See, it’s not so bad. Hee-hee. 😀

  8. Diana Trautwein says

    September 13, 2013 at 12:10 am

    Somehow, I missed David’s original post. Rats. But this is delightful – and that bottom pic? Oh, my. And I’m just saying,’ that for me that sweet little slow-movin’ thing is much more my speed than you two adorable (but VERY energetic) new puppies. :>)

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours. Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours.
Just another backyard photo… Just another backyard photo…
From my backyard tonight. From my backyard tonight.
Just another sunset. Just another sunset.
“I would like people to remember of me, how inex “I would like people to remember of me, how inexhaustible was her mindfulness.” ~ Mary Oliver in “ A Little Ado About This and That.”
Current situation. Current situation.
“This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” “This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson in “Ode to a Butterfly”
🦋
We pulled all the milkweed because it just could not support all the caterpillars. They were eating it bare and most of them died because they ran out of food. This one butterfly found this one lone volunteer.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright futur "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ E.B. White (as quoted on today's page in my Franklin Planner)
"May you experience each day as a sacred gift wove "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." ~ John O'Donohue in "For Presence" from To Bless the Space Between Us
🌴
Tri-colored heron stalking breakfast in my backyard.
“. . neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes “. .  neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes. They are moving in a week. They say a family from Belarus bought the house. I hope they don’t care much for mangoes.”
**
“Beautiful Sweet Things” at https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/
"People do not grow old. When they cease to grow t "People do not grow old. When they cease to grow they become old.” ~ Emerson

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. Like 3 years. But I just wrote my first post on Substack. Come see?

https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/p/ten-years-ten-things
Spent a couple hours this morning with friends fro Spent a couple hours this morning with friends from @spanishriverchurch picking up beach trash. Little bits of colored and clear plastic, big bits of plastic, bottle caps, broken glass, strings, ropes, straws, socks, fast food containers, paper, cigarette holders and filters—and a couple unmentionables. Took extra care around the turtle nests. Last count was about 70 pounds, but there were also some bigger things like an abandoned chair and a plastic tent. And a big piece of burlap or something with a fishing lure and giant hook attached. D found a Macy’s gift card that he almost tossed in his bucket. But we brought it home to check the balance—$24.60! We should be able to turn that into something useful for someone. 😊
H Already dead, I am living my afterlife here in t H
Already dead, I am
living my afterlife
here
in the form of a human.
~ Xueyan from Time Peels All to Original White

Thanks to @tspoetry for introducing me to this beautiful collection via an Every Day Poems selection.
The cats attacked the window all night. The dog wo The cats attacked the window all night. The dog woofed all night. This morning we discovered the would-be burglar imprisoned between the screen and the glass on our bedroom slider. 

When I stepped out to release it (no bail), I was surprised by this brief bit of backyard beauty.
For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in