HIBERNATION OF THE YOUTH

Stop sleeping your life away. You’re young, energetic and opinionated, with your entire life, ahead of you. No need to rush to make any real, life decisions. You are relaxed, taking it easy.  

Winter brings on cold, snowy, icy days. Taking naps; or sleeping in; may be a good idea. Sleeping is important. During rest, your brain and body gets a chance to rejuvenate. And, many can testify, without enough sleep; or lack of sleep, irritableness, lack of concentration and drowsiness can occur.

Hibernation is a resting state. To be inactive or dominant. Some animals hibernate, spending the winter sleeping or resting. Some people are in hibernation, much of their lives.  

Sleep and productive activity should be balanced. Too much sleep and taking too many naps throughout the day can lead into laziness, slothfulness and procrastination. Are you sleeping your life away? Or, living an indolent life?

How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep. Proverbs 6:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

This post can be directed, toward the youth. But, it can also include people who are not living a full productive life. Otherwise, hibernating through life, allowing time to pass, without anything to show for it. Stop thinking you have your entire life ahead of you, taking life for granted. Anything can happen. Life happens.

Therefore, remove sorrow from your heart. And put away evil from your flesh; For childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes 11:10 New King James Version (NKJV)

• Do you think you can squander your life away doing nothing? Due to an overactive sleep schedule?
• Have you put off getting a degree or trade? Due to procrastination.
• Do you sleep half the day and party and play video games the rest of the day?
• Doing just enough to get by, then go to the movies or watch television?
• Do you work at a dead end job, with no desires to get a better one? Or, do you go from one dead end job into another one? Due to laziness?

 Don’t think the future will wait on you. If you don’t watch it, you will see other people, your age, soaring, living and prospering in their lives. And all you can show for your life is that you have reached the highest level of a video game and you have perfected the technique of microwaving popcorn. Those are achieving goals. Will these traits help you, in life?

Wake up! It’s a time to sleep and rest and it’s time to get up and move.

If you are stuck in a mode of:

• Taking a break
• Finding yourself
• Catching your breath
• Getting back on track
• Or I will do it tomorrow

You may wake up and discover a decade has passed and you are doing the same thing, with the same people.  Do you want to live in regret? Thinking years have passed and you wasted them.  

Test yourself:

• What have you accomplished in the previous year? To help you get started, begin with the last month and work backward. For example, start with January, [I got my degree] then go back to December of last year [I got a new job], then November [I  started volunteering} all the way back until February [I got a new car] of last year. Count your achievements.
• Did you achieve anything noteworthy?
• Are you proud of these accomplishments? If you went from one stressful low paying job to a new job. That is great. However, if this job pays more money, but has more headaches and stress than the previous job. What are you going to do about it?
• The company that you keep. It may be time to socialize less with people who moves slow producing little and hang around people who are moving, rolling and getting things done, at record-breaking speed.

He who is slothful in his work. Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.  Proverbs 18:9 New Kings James Version (NKJV)

• Maybe you made a mistake or a wrong turn. It’s not too late. Turn on your GPS and listen to God’s Personal Spirit and allow Him, to recalculate your direction, to lead and deliver you to your life destinations.
• Discipline yourself with a balance of life and fun and sleep/rest. You need all of these to have a prosperous life.
• Find a positive role model. Look for someone, a teacher, counselor, mentor,  who  is doing what you want to do; or who has already achieved what you want to accomplish. Follow their lead, of course with God’s guidance.

That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

Enjoy your youthful life, but remember the future is not promised to anyone.