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In last week’s Reflections from the Summer Series on Proverbs, I encouraged us to “Know our Nots,” meaning, to establish the boundaries we will not cross. This is a defensive strategy. Proverbs does not limit its wisdom to a defensive posture. Solomon also suggests a positive, offense-minded way of living toward good. In the early chapters of Proverbs, as an alternative to laziness, he offers the example of the ant. I have to admit that I have not learned many lessons from ants recently, but Solomon is particularly observant and urges,
“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest” (Prov 6: 6-8).
At first glance, this precept seems to simply encourage hard work and resourcefulness, but I think the wisdom goes a level deeper. The distinctive trait of the ant is its productivity without having to be told or directed. The ant works “without chief, officer, or ruler.” As an entrepreneur, I particularly appreciate this distinction. Many times, I noticed the difference between employees who would do their jobs faithfully, but only when specifically instructed, and those who acted proactively to do what was needed. Both were valuable employees, but the proactive employee stood a cut above. This Proverb reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the talents, where two servants took the initiative to invest the talents of the master to the best of their abilities, while one servant carefully, fearfully, and lazily buried the talent in the ground. Jesus called that servant “wicked.”
The power of this passage goes beyond what we do or do not do at work. The truth is that we operate our day to day lives without a chief, officer, or ruler. Sure, we may have a spouse or others for whom we are responsible. We may have others who offer their “opinions” about how we should use our time. But it is up to us; the buck stops right in front of us. We choose to act or not act, to get up early or sleep in, to grow or vegetate, to plan or slide through our days. We live forward or live reactively. One is hard and takes effort; the other just happens. But in the end, we are our own “chief.” The choice of how we live our lives is ultimately up to us. The ant chooses to “prepare her bread” and “gather her food.” What will we choose?
Being a proactive person is one of the most critical steps toward maturity and a sign of wisdom. When we take responsibility for both the good and bad of life and move forward even when it is excruciatingly difficult, we go from victim to victor. Some of my most courageous acts over the years were simply getting up out of bed when circumstances and suffering were beating me down. This is the lesson of the ant.
What do you need to do right now? What do you need to “prepare?” What do you need to “gather?” The proactive choice, the one up to you and you only, is where strength is found. Name that vital first step, and then do it. The next step will be a little bit easier. Eventually, we will become proactive powerhouses, or at least we will “be like the ants.”