shoppe [workshop] of the deuill." T. Fuller in 1732 and H.B. Bohn in 1855 wrote essentially the same thing.To tell you the truth, I don't remember whether my mother said "hands" or "brain," and I really had little idea what the words meant. I did know the meaning, however, in Mama-speak. If I complained about being bored, my mother would reply, "Very well, I can give you something to do." No thanks, Mama. I'll find something. Anything would be better than scrubbing the outhouse or ironing my brothers' overalls.
Idleness might be described as a vacuum of sorts, and boredom one expression of it. "Nature abhors a vacuum," Aristotle claimed, meaning that empty space sucks in gases or liquid to avoid remaining empty. The same may be said of minds, and hands too for that matter. If not given something to fill them in a beneficial way, they will "suck in" all sorts of inventive stuff. If you have been around small children very much, you know this is true! Things are quiet in the next room—too quiet. The minds and hands with little to do have found something of interest: cutting the cat's hair (or their own), unrolling tissue into the toilet, climbing on top of the refrigerator to reach the cabinet containing goodies.
Older children, teens, and adults are not all that different. Not given something productive to consider, our minds tend to wander off in unfruitful directions and the hands and feet follow. We are urged by the Apostle Paul not merely to avoid unprofitable contents in our minds or to create a vacuum there, but actually to fill them up with what is good. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) No workshop for the devil there!
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Idleness might be described as a vacuum of sorts, and boredom one expression of it. "Nature abhors a vacuum," Aristotle claimed, meaning that empty space sucks in gases or liquid to avoid remaining empty. The same may be said of minds, and hands too for that matter. If not given something to fill them in a beneficial way, they will "suck in" all sorts of inventive stuff. If you have been around small children very much, you know this is true! Things are quiet in the next room—too quiet. The minds and hands with little to do have found something of interest: cutting the cat's hair (or their own), unrolling tissue into the toilet, climbing on top of the refrigerator to reach the cabinet containing goodies.
Older children, teens, and adults are not all that different. Not given something productive to consider, our minds tend to wander off in unfruitful directions and the hands and feet follow. We are urged by the Apostle Paul not merely to avoid unprofitable contents in our minds or to create a vacuum there, but actually to fill them up with what is good. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) No workshop for the devil there!
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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