Consider The Ant

Scripture

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

~Proverbs 6:6

Quote

Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes it.

~Benjamin Franklin

Solomon was a teacher and as such was a great student of nature. He had studied the ways of ants and he knew they were energetic and industrialist by nature. Ants are workers. A sluggard is a slow-moving lazy person. Solomon said to the sluggards in his class, “Consider the ways of the ant and be wise.  It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Ants work hard because it is their nature. They do not have to have a foreman or a taskmaster. They don’t need someone standing over them with a whip. They work because it is their nature to work. The ant can carry six times its body weight. For me to accomplish the same feat, I would have to carry 1200 pounds. But Solomon commends the ant not just for its energy and determination but for its innate wisdom. The ant works hard in summer, so that it doesn’t starve in winter. Mother told us the story of the  squirrel and the grasshopper. While the squirrel was working busily gathering nuts and working on its nest as it prepared for winter, the grasshopper jumped about leisurely. The squirrel reprimanded him and told him winter was coming but he paid no attention. Winter came and the grasshopper froze to death. 


The wisdom of the ant is that it prepares for the inevitable. The wise person looks ahead. A wise man considers eternity. Jacob is a good example: he dared to think long term. Esau on the other hand, only thought about the present.


I have a story to go with today’s blog. Over 40 years ago, I had a deacon point this scripture out to me. He was not accusing me of being lazy but there was a man in the church who was not only lazy, he was a busy body and a meddler. I fell for the bait. I preached this sermon on LAZINESS with that man in mind. This is never a good idea: we call it “getting in the flesh.” I didn’t call the man’s name but he took offense and left in a rage. I learned two lessons that day: [1] Don’t let anyone tell you what to preach and [2] don’t prepare a sermon for an individual. It’s funny now but the man got so mad, he came back later and threatened by life. The man was crazy and I didn’t takes his threats that seriously but he did get on my nerves.


One other thing: despite what the libs say, laziness is a problem in America and the welfare system has exaggerated the problem. I know two contractors that will hire you on the spot if you are willing to work. One pays minimum wage and the other pays 12 bucks and hour. I’ve had people tell me that they couldn’t find work and so I would give them the numbers of these contractors. Guess what, none of the so-called unemployed ever called to get the job. My philosophy is a job is a job is a job. I worked for minimum wage all the way through college and Seminary. I paid every dime of my college tuition and with June’s help, all of my Seminary. I did have some help from the Carter’s Grove Baptist Church in Madison County during my second year of Seminary. The point is: I worked 39 hours per week during seminary and most of that time, it was for minimum wage. I know that every unemployed person is not lazy but the great majority are: they don’t want to work. If you have a mind to work, someone will hire you.

Darlene and Tina did an outstanding job of the BINGO. June is raving over her prizes. The aprons are monogrammed or cross-stitched by Darlene. Gregg stole my prize and then got to feeling guilty and brought it back, then like a dunce, I picked up Rays and carried it home. I set my took box down and June said, “Here’s yours, I had it. Who’s is that?” We had enough soup to feed 200 people. I want to thank June, Sheila and Jean for making the soup. The fried pies must have been pretty good; Gregg ate 6 and I fried 48 and we have about 8 left. We will have a fish fry in April but no more fried pies for a while. Darlene and Tina cleaned up the kitchen after my pie making: now they know why June does not want me in her kitchen. I tend to make a mess.

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