Jesus said, "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today .' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"
[The religious leaders] said, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe [John the Baptist's message]."
(Matthew 21:28-32)
Life is often like this: I am asked to do something I do not want to do. How do I react? I respond with a sarcastic, eye-roll-induced "no." I am lazy by nature and would prefer to chill rather than hustle on my off time. But there is something in me that later realizes the right thing to do, so I get up and do it, albeit reluctantly. It gets done but on my own terms. This refusal/completion game is my lazy stubbornness at work. And I am thankful for the grace to get it done. I just wish, however, that I did not act like such an ass in the process.
Stubbornness and laziness are my forte for sure. Arrogance, willful neglect, and entitlement, on the other hand, put us on dangerous ground. God, please protect us from blind ignorance and give us the grace to serve others with love and humility in our hearts. Amen.
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