Proverbs 20:4
"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing."
Every year in the world of sports, there is someone who is supposed to be
a great player, and years later they never live up to the hype. They underachieved in the expectations that people had for them. Their underachievement wasn't due to the lack of talent, it was due to a lack of character.
The same can be said for Christians. I have seen many people underachieve who seemed to have so much talent. Yet, those who don't have much talent seem to be the ones who are the overachievers. Too often we base someone's future on talent, when we ought to base the future on someone's character. The overachievers are those who have character, and the underachievers are those who lack in character.
The sluggard is an underachiever. Five times in the Book of Proverbs God talks about the sluggard. In each case, you will see that the sluggard could have achieved something, but their lack of character caused them to underachieve. In reality, the sluggard is an underachiever. Let me show you five characteristics of the underachiever.
First, the underachiever sleeps when they should be fulfilling their responsibility. Proverbs 6:9 says, "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?" One of the differences between the underachiever and the overachiever is that the overachiever is working while the underachiever is sleeping. I know, you're tired. May I remind you that everybody gets tired. You will never reach your potential if you allow sleep to get in the way of your responsibility. An underachiever always justifies their need for sleep, and that is why they underachieve.
Second, the underachiever is not dependable with tasks given. Proverbs 10:26 shows us that the sluggard can't be depended to perform their required tasks. The underachiever is one who never completes their tasks. For whatever reason, you will find the underachiever has started many tasks, but never finishes them. The overachiever will always finish what they start.
Third, the underachiever is entitlement happy. Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat." The underachiever has their hand out while the overachiever is working for what they get. You will find that the underachiever believes the world owes them everything. You will never reach your potential until you go after what you want.
Fourth, the underachiever always has an excuse. Proverbs 20:4 shows us that the sluggard gives excuses. The sad part about these excuses is that they are good excuses, but you will never reach your potential until you lay aside your excuses and get things done. The overachiever works through difficulties instead of giving excuses for why they can't do something.
Fifth, the underachiever is unteachable. Proverbs 26:16 shows us the sluggard thinks they are always right. Nobody can ever teach the underachiever because they already know everything. Yet, the overachiever allows everyone to be their teacher.
You have a choice of whether to be an underachiever or an overachiever. Simply put, the overachiever outworks the underachiever. It has nothing to do with talent. It has everything to do with character. If you will develop your character, you will find that you will become known as an overachiever.