So I'm reading through the book of Proverbs right now, trying to live in the wisdom that it espouses. At least once a year, I read through the book, one chapter per day for 31 days. It's a practice I encourage you to adopt. There are so many gems in here.
So on to today's reflection. In 6.1-11, Solomon contrasts two very different financial situations. They apply both to individuals and to nations (Congress, are you listening?).
The first person is the person who has pledged his goods to his neighbor to buy something he wants now. I'm sure none of us are in that situation (to MasterCard or AmEx or the next generation...). Wisdom says to run to the neighbor and work it out right then and to do so with intensity: like a gazelle caught by a hunter and trying to get away and flee. Dave Ramsey's "gazelle-like intensity" comes from 6.5.
In light of our Christmas and Congressional spending as of late, sounds like a good reminder. Admittedly, our family is not a "no credit and no credit card" kind of family like Mr. Ramsey. But we can write a check for every expenditure.
The second example is the Ant. She works hard. She saves. She plans ahead. She has plenty when it gets bad and plenty when it is good, though (honestly) probably not as much as others have when it's good because she's always putting away from when it's bad - and it inevitably gets bad. The sluggard, in contrast, merely wants to nap. But when snoozing, poverty and want come along and commit robbery.
Which do you want to be? And equally as important: how are you going to get there? What practices do you need to change to get there?
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
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