Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
My parents both worked hard all their lives and I think they instilled that into me at a young age.
At the age of twelve, I had two paper rounds. My first part-time job was as a dishwasher at fourteen. When the dishwasher did not work I washed everything by hand, when the lift did not work I ran everything up and down the stairs. One day when the cook did not turn up the manager handed me the menu and told me I was the cook. I was fifteen.
I came in early to set up and prep. I stayed late when we were busy. I worked through the night on the big clean up when head office was about to visit. I became the best cook they had ever had, I could memorise more than twenty orders and set up a flow in the kitchen to bring everything to the pass at the right time. I left the kitchen immaculate, fully stocked, and fully prepped at the shift change times.
At the ripe old age of 17, I was made up to be the relief manager for four different outlets around the city and was recruiting and training other staff. I gave the location managers their days off and their holidays.
I learned three of my seven secrets to success. Find an entry point into a company you want to work for. Do what nobody else will do and do it exceptionally well. Wait. The other four secrets are available for a modest fee.
KNOWLEDGE
God is telling us that right at our feet in places we may usually overlook we can find wisdom that speaks to our moral nature. Something so seemingly insignificant as the ant has great significance.
If we struggle with procrastination, delay, or simply are inert then we can be challenged by this verse.
I love the fact that this speaks to our uniqueness. If you are a thinker, then would you pay yourself for thinking? How do you harness your thoughts, where do you stable them, and how do you equip them to saddle up and go to work when the time is right?
If you are an influencer, a relationship builder, or a great “doer” how do you live so that you excel in those areas each day intentionally?
Each day is a gift, and we get the opportunity to be our best self each day, to speak life to others, to pay a coffee forwards, to pick up that Macca’s cup blowing around in the car park.
God is a great teacher, classes are open from first light to midnight and the fees are paid, with great rewards always available.
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s pick one word from this verse to look closer at and see if that can help us gain a deeper insight into how God would love us to live?
The word for “wise” in Hebrew is pronounced “hakam” and appears 27 times in the Old Testament. In the ESV this word is translated into English as, shrewd; cunning; and, wise.
In our reading of verse six, we pick up on the idea of wise being a moral skill.
WISDOM – what can you learn from nature today?
STRENGTHS THOUGHT: Achiever, is a trusted worker, great team player and relationship builder. You are at your best giving your all and helping others do the same.
Allan’s Unauthorised Version – [walk over to the ant, you slow, lazy, moral failure. Look, see, and know her way of life, and gain moral skill.]
PRAYER: Father, thank you for today. Help me to 7. Take action at your prompting.
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