Neat but Negative

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”  Proverbs 14:4

October 12, 2022

Is your house a mess? What about the basement or the garage? Are you in the midst of group conflict and messy relationships? Wisdom tells us that messiness may be necessary if there is going to be progress. The proverb before us is the right truth-pill if perfectionism is a life dominating pursuit. Derek Kidner (great commentary on Proverbs) offers a succinct summary of a point of wisdom, “We must be ready to accept upheaval, and a mess to clean up, as the price of growth.” Acceptance of responsibility means the acceptance of risks and inconvenience. A new job can bring with it a lot of dirtier tasks than is asked of fellow employees. School work piled on by hard teachers can be a blessing in disguise. There are those with a passion for orderliness (everything in its place all the time) that can become a hindrance to needed change. A young couple making plans for no children in order to live a “do what we want to do life” may not be a wise decision. Church also has its challenges with different points of view, old friends leaving and going to another church, new people in the church, new converts (a good problem to have). Jesus and His disciples are frequently found in disagreeable situations (e.g. being “late” to a grief stricken family’s crisis of sickness and death, John 11:21). The messy situations we face can be a positive sign. Just make sure it’s not for other reasons. H

“Better to have a farmer’s outlook than that of a manager of a museum.”