The Lazy Soldier

Even the best soldiers, if not careful, can get caught up in the wrong things.

Sergeant Benny would work long hard hours to ensure that everything got done and that everything was secure. The people of Zeal slept easier knowing that Sergeant Benny was on the job.

One day, the top official of the country of Zeal's army noticed what an outstanding job Sergeant Benny was doing. He spoke with some of the other officials and they decided to send Sergeant Benny to the island of Lackadaisical.

You see the soldiers on the island of Lackadaisical were not very hard workers and they hardly ever finished all their work. The island wasn't very secure. Rumor had it that this island would be the first place attacked, if and when a war broke out. Sergeant Benny would be a big help to make the island secure.

Sergeant Benny gladly accepted his new orders, just as he always did. When he arrived on the island of Lackadaisical he couldn't believe his eyes. The other soldiers' uniforms were very sloppy, their rifles were covered with dirt and grim, their shoes needed to be shined, and most of them were lying in the shade drinking lemonade. Sergeant Benny shouted, "What kind of soldiers are you?"

The other soldiers laughed and said to Benny, "Lighten up, who do you think you are anyway? If you got a problem you should go see the top official of the island."

Sergeant Benny marched right over to the official's house and asked to speak with him. The top official's name was Mr. Apathetic. Sergeant Benny noticed that Mr. Apathetic was in worse shape than the soldiers of Lackadaisical.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Mr. Apathetic yawned. Sergeant Benny began to explain how sloppy the soldiers were and how unsecured the island was, when Mr. Apathetic interrupted him, "Yes, yes, whatever. Please come back and talk to me after lunch. I need to take a nap right now."

Sergeant Benny returned after lunch and was told to come back after dinner. When he returned after dinner he was told to come back after breakfast. Mr. Apathetic was always playing and didn't have time to talk.

This went on for days. The days stretched into weeks. Sergeant Benny tried to talk to the other soldiers, but they would just laugh and ask who had made him the boss. After a month of this, Sergeant Benny began to think that maybe he had also been working just a little bit too hard. The island was beautiful and had many nice places to swim. He decided to take the afternoon off and go swimming.

After swimming, he was very hungry and ate a big lunch. After eating, he took a long nap. At first Sergeant Benny felt bad about goofing off and not doing his work, but the more he goofed off, the easier it became. Soon Benny was goofing off everyday. His rifle was caked with mud, he couldn't find his boots, his shirt was torn, and he needed to comb his hair.

Benny was just getting ready to take a nap when the alarm sounded. The island of Lackadaisical was under attack. Benny jumped to his feet and began to run to the army base where he thought he left his rifle. However, he couldn't run very fast because he was so out of shape. The enemy quickly defeated the soldiers of Lackadaisical. Not one of the people of Lackadaisical survived the sudden attack.

We are also in an army—God’s army. As soldiers in God's army, we need to make sure that we stay in shape, by reading our Bibles, praying, worshiping our Lord, and helping others.

Many things can try to distract us from staying in shape.We may think its more fun to ride our bikes or play videogames, and it is not wrong to do those things, but we need to make sure we put God first. Some people may not understand the importance of prayer, reading the Bible, or spending time serving the Lord. Don't follow their bad examples. God wants the best for us and He wants us to stay in shape. That's an order, soldier!