Do you remember that story about the ant and the grasshopper? The ant busied himself all summer gathering food, while the grasshopper fiddled his days away. Winter came and the grasshopper had nothing to eat, while the ant snug in his hill waited for winter to pass.
I am amazed by the observational powers of the ancients. They took time to look, listen, and learn. At least, some of them sought to make something out of their observations. They weren't content to see or hear something, and then go their way. They pondered the meaning of what they saw and heard. They then sought to apply this new knowledge in ways that would enrich their lives and the lives of others.
I believe it was Aesop who told the tale of the Ant and the Grasshopper. The story is rooted in the observations that ants work hard, while grasshoppers sit around making noise and destroying vegetation. Another ancient, Solomon, observed the work ethic of ants. He used the ant as a teaching tool.
He said, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" (Prov. 6:6, ESV). Then he goes on to explain what we can learn from the ant. He states, "Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest" (Prov. 6:7-8, ESV). There are several principles which can be drawn from these verses.
1. Be a self-starter. Ant may serve a queen, but they don't need someone driving them with a whip. The colony needs food, and it must be gathered in. Ants just do what they need to do.
2. Work when it is appropriate. There is a time for work and a time for play. Procrastination is trap that strips life of its joy and purpose.
3. Don't fear hard work. Work isn't a bad thing. When we treat it as a demoralizing act, we fail to see work correctly. Work is a reflection of God's nature. He is the Creator, Sustainer, Provider, etc. All of these title describe some type of work.
4. Work satisfies our cravings. When we work, we are able to get the things we need and want. We may not get as much as we want or all that we want, but hard workers, generally, get what they need.
Solomon urged his reader to consider the ant. Are you like the ant? I'm beginning to fear I more like the grasshopper. I look at all the "busyness" in my life, but wonder where the productivity is. I seem to be always in motion, but I never have anything to show for it.
The good news is that in Christ there is hope. There is time to correct course. If you (or I) have played the grasshopper, we can still consider the ant. We can do all things through Christ who is our strength. These truths apply to both our physical and spiritual life. The discipline that is necessary to succeed in the workplace is necessary to succeed in spiritual development. Friend, look to the ant and be wise.
Showing posts with label Sluggards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sluggards. Show all posts
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Choose to Work Hard
"The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor" (Prov. 21:25, ESV).
I have learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks. I realized at some point several months ago that I shifted into auto-pilot. I haven't quite figured out how to change it. I guess that isn't quite true. I know what it will take to change it, but I am afraid to do it. I feel like Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The right course is usually not the easiest course. Sometimes it is full of danger and loneliness. But more than that, it is usually filled with action. In truth, the right course is most usually perpetual action.
The hardest part for some is decision to do. Will I? or Won't I?
The question then becomes: what sort of person am I? Do I want, yet lack the heart to act? Or do I refuse to want because I'm not going to act?
The sluggard or lazy person want, but lack to heart to act. They can't get themselves motivated to do anything. The sluggard is marked by inaction.
I have found in my own life that several things lead me to laziness. Sometimes I lack focus or direction. Other times I lack genuine passion or concern about things. More often than not, I realize that it will take hard work to achieve what I want, and I'm not willing to do it.
I have tried to analyze the why of inaction, but I haven't found the magic bullet. They answer is as complex as the problem. In one venture it seems like the pay off isn't worth the effort. In another, it feels like the risk for failure it just too high.
In the end, I guess what matters is what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want. Do we want to be the kind of person who failed to pursue their dreams and therefore spends the rest of their lives consumed by regrets and what ifs? Or do we want to be the kind of person who looks back on their life and sees a legacy. This proverb calls us to work hard for our dreams. We would be wise to heed the advice.
I have learned a lot about myself in the last few weeks. I realized at some point several months ago that I shifted into auto-pilot. I haven't quite figured out how to change it. I guess that isn't quite true. I know what it will take to change it, but I am afraid to do it. I feel like Frodo in the Fellowship of the Ring.
The right course is usually not the easiest course. Sometimes it is full of danger and loneliness. But more than that, it is usually filled with action. In truth, the right course is most usually perpetual action.
The hardest part for some is decision to do. Will I? or Won't I?
The question then becomes: what sort of person am I? Do I want, yet lack the heart to act? Or do I refuse to want because I'm not going to act?
The sluggard or lazy person want, but lack to heart to act. They can't get themselves motivated to do anything. The sluggard is marked by inaction.
I have found in my own life that several things lead me to laziness. Sometimes I lack focus or direction. Other times I lack genuine passion or concern about things. More often than not, I realize that it will take hard work to achieve what I want, and I'm not willing to do it.
I have tried to analyze the why of inaction, but I haven't found the magic bullet. They answer is as complex as the problem. In one venture it seems like the pay off isn't worth the effort. In another, it feels like the risk for failure it just too high.
In the end, I guess what matters is what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want. Do we want to be the kind of person who failed to pursue their dreams and therefore spends the rest of their lives consumed by regrets and what ifs? Or do we want to be the kind of person who looks back on their life and sees a legacy. This proverb calls us to work hard for our dreams. We would be wise to heed the advice.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
No Excuses
"The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside!' or 'I will be murdered in the streets!'" (Prov. 22:13, NIV).
I find this proverb interesting. The point appears to be that a lazy person always has an excuse. They can always give you an explanation for why they can't get something done, even if when the explanation takes longer to deliver (and dream up) than task would have taken to complete.
It should cause us to think about the ways in which we excuse ourselves. Maybe this sluggard was telling the truth, and lion did roam the streets. But why doesn't he get his hunting gear and take care of that problem? Maybe his streets are filled with dangerous criminals. But why doesn't he team up with his neighbors and make it a safer place.
Maybe all the excuses we have are true. Maybe we missed our deadline, because we were sick. Or maybe we missed it because the weeks leading up to the deadline were filled with idle play and fruitless business.
I want to get to a place in my life where I no longer need to make excuses. I realize that every plan I make will not come to fruition. But it's better to be active than reactive. It is better to do something and fail, than do nothing. It's time to stop fearing the lions, which may or may not exist, and start fearing the missed opportunities. Life to short for excuses.
I find this proverb interesting. The point appears to be that a lazy person always has an excuse. They can always give you an explanation for why they can't get something done, even if when the explanation takes longer to deliver (and dream up) than task would have taken to complete.
It should cause us to think about the ways in which we excuse ourselves. Maybe this sluggard was telling the truth, and lion did roam the streets. But why doesn't he get his hunting gear and take care of that problem? Maybe his streets are filled with dangerous criminals. But why doesn't he team up with his neighbors and make it a safer place.
Maybe all the excuses we have are true. Maybe we missed our deadline, because we were sick. Or maybe we missed it because the weeks leading up to the deadline were filled with idle play and fruitless business.
I want to get to a place in my life where I no longer need to make excuses. I realize that every plan I make will not come to fruition. But it's better to be active than reactive. It is better to do something and fail, than do nothing. It's time to stop fearing the lions, which may or may not exist, and start fearing the missed opportunities. Life to short for excuses.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Go to the Ant
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" (Prov. 6:6, ESV).
Every so often I am reminded that hard work, physical or mental, is not part of the curse placed on Adam and his descendants. We are called to be diligent in mind and body. We are to labor with intensity and passion. We see here that there exists, within the natural order, patterns for us to observe and learn from. Solomon calls his reader to consider the diligence of the ant. The ant is about the task of preparing and approaches the task with determination.
The term "sluggard" carries with it a degree of shame. It describes someone who is lazy. The book of Proverbs has a lot of things to say against the sluggard. Even in the descriptions of the sluggard are harsh. The sluggard is supposed to be scorned by Solomon's readers, and his ways rejected. As Solomon describes it, laziness is rewarded with poverty and hardship, but hard work is rewarded with wealth and success.
The sluggard is one who will not lift a finger to help himself. He thinks it is everyone else's job to provide for him, and that work is for suckers. As believers in Christ this kind of attitude is to be rejected by us. We want to display the glorious character of Christ. We cannot do that by being lazy. Jesus was continually doing what the Father called him to do.
I am not suggesting that we never take a break. Sabbath, after all, was made for man, Jesus said. We are creatures who need rest, but if our default mode is procrastination; if we are always ready to put off until tomorrow what we should do today, then we may be lazy. Solomon says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . ." (Eccl. 9:10, ESV). Paul also states, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31, ESV). We should seek to serve the Lord with diligence in all we do.
So the next time you find an ant searching your kitchen for provisions, and before you kill it for its trespass, ask yourself, "Am I that diligent?" Have you looked to the ant to learn from it? Have you heard all that he has to teach you? Then roll up your sleeves and get back to work.
Every so often I am reminded that hard work, physical or mental, is not part of the curse placed on Adam and his descendants. We are called to be diligent in mind and body. We are to labor with intensity and passion. We see here that there exists, within the natural order, patterns for us to observe and learn from. Solomon calls his reader to consider the diligence of the ant. The ant is about the task of preparing and approaches the task with determination.
The term "sluggard" carries with it a degree of shame. It describes someone who is lazy. The book of Proverbs has a lot of things to say against the sluggard. Even in the descriptions of the sluggard are harsh. The sluggard is supposed to be scorned by Solomon's readers, and his ways rejected. As Solomon describes it, laziness is rewarded with poverty and hardship, but hard work is rewarded with wealth and success.
The sluggard is one who will not lift a finger to help himself. He thinks it is everyone else's job to provide for him, and that work is for suckers. As believers in Christ this kind of attitude is to be rejected by us. We want to display the glorious character of Christ. We cannot do that by being lazy. Jesus was continually doing what the Father called him to do.
I am not suggesting that we never take a break. Sabbath, after all, was made for man, Jesus said. We are creatures who need rest, but if our default mode is procrastination; if we are always ready to put off until tomorrow what we should do today, then we may be lazy. Solomon says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . ." (Eccl. 9:10, ESV). Paul also states, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31, ESV). We should seek to serve the Lord with diligence in all we do.
So the next time you find an ant searching your kitchen for provisions, and before you kill it for its trespass, ask yourself, "Am I that diligent?" Have you looked to the ant to learn from it? Have you heard all that he has to teach you? Then roll up your sleeves and get back to work.
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