I came across a quote from one of my favorite philosophers today, Anonymous. You know, it’s odd that I enjoy reading the wisdom of Anonymous so much, and yet I never answer the phone when I see “Anonymous” on the caller ID. I digress.
Here is what Anonymous said as quoted in Reader’s Digest:
“Ant: a small insect that, though always at work, still finds time to go to picnics.”
It made me think a quote from my favorite book of proverbs (the one in the Bible.)
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Proverbs 6:6 (NLT)
This proverb is generally considered an admonition to work hard and not be lazy. That’s good advice and I wholeheartedly embrace it. But Anonymous has a pretty good point. We need to work hard but we also need to take time to go to the picnic.
Jesus set a good example in this area as recorded in the second chapter of John’s gospel. Jesus was just getting his ministry started and had only recruited five of his disciples. He obviously was very busy and had a long list of unfinished tasks on his “To Do” list. So, what does he do? He takes his disciples to a party.
You have probably heard about this party, it was a wedding banquet. Jesus turned water into wine and the narrative says his disciples believed in him because of what happened there.
Here’s the lesson for us: It’s wise to learn from the ways of the ants. It’s a good idea to work hard but we need to take time to go to the picnic sometimes. The break from work and the relaxation will do us some good and who knows what good thing could come from it?
Jim