Our Model, the Ant – Proverbs in Practice
Ah, the ant, former procrastinators! That tiny little critter the Lord calls us to consider. An ant grins out at us from the logo of this blog because she represents the diligence we want to characterize us.
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no captain, overseer, or ruler,
Provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.
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 –
So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6-11)
The writer makes no gentle greeting before addressing his topic. He’s very direct. This must be important. “You sluggard!”
Strong’s Concordance says “sluggard” comes from a root meaning to lean idly, to be indolent, or slack, slothful. “To lean” paints a picture for us. Can’t you just see some cowpoke leaning against the barn, arms folded, watching other men work while he chews on a straw? He’s idle, not occupied with what he was hired to do.
“Indolent” means “averse to activity, effort, or movement; habitually lazy.” It also means “causing little or no pain.” (Merriam-Webster Online)
These meanings used to baffle me because I was a very active person who got a lot done. Then the Lord impressed on me that as a procrastinator I was a sluggard because I did not do what needed doing when it needed doing. I busied myself with work I preferred to do rather than the work I needed to do. I chose to do what was less painful for me than the necessary thing. And I did this habitually. I qualified as a sluggard. Ouch.
Once somebody told me, “He’s not lazy. If there’s something he wants to do, he does it.” Scripturally, that won’t hold up. Who of us wants to cook dinner nightly, go to work every day, bathe the dog?
Wisdom comes from observing the ant and acting the same way.
Nobody supervises the ant. She is reliable and will do her job. If we lack a sense of responsibility to do our jobs, we can ask the Lord for wisdom, energy, and faithfulness. Then we show up. We don’t wait until we feel energetic or enthusiastic about it. Those have nothing to do with it. Energy and enthusiasm are great, but they’re not required for faithfulness.
Next, the ant does her task when it needs doing. There’s a time for work and a time to enjoy the benefits of having worked. If I don’t earn a pay check, I can’t pay the rent. If I don’t bake the cake before party time, no cake. If I don’t teach the children manners at home, they’ll be lacking in public. Applications abound.
Consider the ant….
Look at the last paragraph. What examples can you think of from your life?
