Scripture: Proverbs 6:6-11
Go to the ant, medical 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.

Thought for the Day: This proverb is a warning against ignoring the job at hand and not being prepared for the future by focusing too much on instant gratification. But there is a balance between work and rest. Too much work burns us out. Too much rest and we don’t properly prepare for unexpected events in the future.

In the ancient world, not storing food for the winter would have been a complete disaster. In the months when food simply does not grow, people had to rely on their food storage to survive. Perhaps more importantly, the food storage of every family was part of the sustenance of the entire community. If one family fell down on the job, it affected the entire society.

In today’s global village, we’re more interdependent than ever. Food is grown and shipped all over the world so we can enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables year-round. This doesn’t mean we need to work more hours though. By distributing the task of farming around the globe, we have the opportunity to refresh and renew our own farms in the off-season. In today’s hectic world it’s difficult to find the balance between work and rest, but it’s more necessary now than ever in human history, because when a single one of us burns out, it affects the rest of us.

Prayer: Teach me how to rest in your love, God of boundless energy, so that when it is my time to work, I will be invigorated, productive, and thankful. Amen.