“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
Growing Dominion, Part 78
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Prov. 13:4).
We all understand that the body of the sluggard desires, and yet has nothing. And that the body of the industrious is well-fed and clothed and so on. But this proverb lets us know that our bodies are more than just containers for our souls. The bodily sins of laziness are connected to the soul. The effect of diligence is similar. The soul of the diligent is made fat. The soul of the lazy man wastes away.
A man who does not work hard is not just affecting his ability to make his monthly payments, or his ability to walk the aisles at the grocery store with more than academic interest. A lazy man is rotting out his soul. A diligent man is doing something that is good for his soul.
Bring this into businesses. Shops and businesses with a sound work ethic are characterized by something else-high morale. Good spirits. Shops and businesses with a raggedy work ethic are characterized by more than just lousy business and difficulty with the bills. They are also characterized by grumbling, complaining, moaning, murmuring, kvetching . . . all maladies of the soul.