READ THIS: Proverbs 30:20-28
20 “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ 21 “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: 22 a servant who becomes king, a godless fool who gets plenty to eat, 23 a contemptible woman who gets married, and a servant who displaces her mistress. 24 “Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: 25 Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; 26 hyraxes are creatures of little power, yet they make their home in the crags; 27 locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; 28 a lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?
There are two different ways in these verses to do something that others think we shouldn't. The first way is by doing something that is morally/socially wrong, while the other way is by working excellently beyond expectation. We want to strive to operate the second way NOT the first way. So, let's dive into how to be like the second set of examples!
Ants are small and shouldn't be able to do too much, but they wisely gather up food when they can. If they were to just wait to get food when they were hungry, they might not be able to find any when they need it, particularly because as small creatures it would take them forever to get anywhere and could easily be taken down along the way. A hyrax is a small rodent creature that lives in rocks mainly in African/Middle Eastern countries. A hyrax doesn't have much strength when you look at it, but it defies expectations by being scrappy enough to live in the rocky areas. Locusts are small and don't have someone directing them what to do, yet they travel in packs and work together, proving wrong the thought that they couldn't possibly do any damage. Lizards can be caught, but they boldly find their way in places that most people and animals would never enter.
No matter what people think when they look at us, whether that we are too small or too chaotic or whatever, that doesn't restrain us. God gives us each different talents (from wisdom to scrappiness to teamwork to boldness), and just because we aren't given the talents that others think we need to succeed, that doesn't mean we actually can't succeed and follow God's will for our lives. He has given us exactly what we need (and that's something to keep in mind when it comes to verses 20-23...if we have been given a spouse, a certain role, enough to eat, etc we need to appreciate what we have instead of stealing/gathering more things/people inappropriately).
THINK ABOUT IT:
1. Which of the animals do you relate to the most? The ant, hyrax, locust, or lizard? Why?
2. What is something about you that people think would hold you back but you actually can do something incredible because of/in spite of it?
TRY THIS:
As a reminder that we can do incredible things, even if we are like ants or...have ants...listen to this song!
Spotify
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