Go to the Ant! (Weekly Encouragement Letter #3)
These are getting faster! We'll see how people react to this one, haha.
Weekly Encouragement Letter #3: Go to the Ant
I know life can be stressful. I know sometimes it feels like we’re juggling a dozen flaming balls of death and if a single one drops it’ll burn the house down around our ears. Times like that, well-meaning people often say things like, “Don’t work so hard,” or “It’s okay to take a break,” or “Sometimes you just need to stop and smell the roses.” I don’t know about you, but when I hear that, I want to say, “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s kind of hard to rest or rose-smell when the air is on fire.”
Conversely, sometimes life becomes so overwhelming that we try to ignore those flaming balls. We squeeze shut our eyes, pretend we’re smelling flowers instead of smoke, and call “rest” what other people would call “procrastination-induced asphyxiation.” I don’t know about you, but times like that, I don’t need validation; I need a kick in the pants.
Allow me to introduce you to Proverbs 6:6-11:
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
I love this proverb. If I ever decide to indulge in an inspiring wall decal, “Go to the ant, you sluggard” is going right above my desk. It recognizes the risks of procrastination and invalidates all excuses.
However, as we also know, no-one is strong or determined or organized enough to persevere forever. We all reach a breaking point. Whether we are expert jugglers or expert procrastinators, one or more of those balls is going to fall, and our house is going to start burning. As writer Allie Stuckey puts it, “You are not enough.”
“You are not enough,” she writes, “and that’s okay.” It’s okay because we’re not meant to be enough; we’re meant to lean on God. “God is our refuge and our strength,” asserts Psalm 46:1, “our ever-present help in trouble.” God denies us the false comfort of excuses in Proverbs, and gives us the real comfort of His strength in Psalms. When we hit the snooze button He rips off the covers; when we fall to our knees He helps us stand.
So when you’re cracking into pieces because you don’t know how to stamp out the flames from the dropped ball while keeping the other eleven in the air, take refuge in God. He might not let you ignore the situation, but He always carries a fire extinguisher.
Weekly Encouragement Letter #3: Go to the Ant
I know life can be stressful. I know sometimes it feels like we’re juggling a dozen flaming balls of death and if a single one drops it’ll burn the house down around our ears. Times like that, well-meaning people often say things like, “Don’t work so hard,” or “It’s okay to take a break,” or “Sometimes you just need to stop and smell the roses.” I don’t know about you, but when I hear that, I want to say, “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s kind of hard to rest or rose-smell when the air is on fire.”
Conversely, sometimes life becomes so overwhelming that we try to ignore those flaming balls. We squeeze shut our eyes, pretend we’re smelling flowers instead of smoke, and call “rest” what other people would call “procrastination-induced asphyxiation.” I don’t know about you, but times like that, I don’t need validation; I need a kick in the pants.
Allow me to introduce you to Proverbs 6:6-11:
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
I love this proverb. If I ever decide to indulge in an inspiring wall decal, “Go to the ant, you sluggard” is going right above my desk. It recognizes the risks of procrastination and invalidates all excuses.
However, as we also know, no-one is strong or determined or organized enough to persevere forever. We all reach a breaking point. Whether we are expert jugglers or expert procrastinators, one or more of those balls is going to fall, and our house is going to start burning. As writer Allie Stuckey puts it, “You are not enough.”
“You are not enough,” she writes, “and that’s okay.” It’s okay because we’re not meant to be enough; we’re meant to lean on God. “God is our refuge and our strength,” asserts Psalm 46:1, “our ever-present help in trouble.” God denies us the false comfort of excuses in Proverbs, and gives us the real comfort of His strength in Psalms. When we hit the snooze button He rips off the covers; when we fall to our knees He helps us stand.
So when you’re cracking into pieces because you don’t know how to stamp out the flames from the dropped ball while keeping the other eleven in the air, take refuge in God. He might not let you ignore the situation, but He always carries a fire extinguisher.