July 14

Jul 14 - Today from Proverbs 14 we look at verse 4
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest." (NIV)
"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean; but much increase is by the strength of the ox." (KJV)

I once read a tongue-in-cheek quote from a pastor in which he stated, "I would love my job if I just didn't have to deal with people." I have been friends with a number of pastors, and I truly sympathize with them. Dealing with people on a spiritual level is much more challenging than dealing with them, say, on a business level. You can't fire members of your flock, you can't give them a piece of your mind, you can't dock their wages, and most of all, you can't please them all and you certainly can't please them all of the time. It's like being the head of a household with a couple of hundred family members. Think about it!
I see this proverb as an analogy of the inconveniences of life. "Farming wouldn't be a bad job if I just didn't have to clean out the stall of that big ox!" Yeah. It's dirty and stinky and by the day's end, the stink gets all over you. Get rid of the ox, and farming would be much more pleasant. The working farm would be a lot smaller because you couldn't plow too many acres trying to push a plow through the soil on your own. Then there wouldn't be much of a crop because the soil you were able to till turned out to be such a small plot. There probably wouldn't be enough crop to feed yourself, much less any to bring to market to sell. But, there's always the comfort of knowing you're not going to have to go into a filthy stall and work up a sweat getting all dirty and smelly pitching ox droppings. Actually, a good farmer in those days loved and valued his ox. It was an important asset to his livelihood.
And actually, good pastors love and value their flocks. There are times when the task becomes unpleasant, but that comes with the territory. When the flock is working together and producing fruit, stall-cleaning is worth it's weight in gold.
But this proverb isn't about farmers and pastors (unless you are one). It's about you. What things in your life are you quite certain of that life would be better without? Have you ever considered the benefits and weighed them against the inconveniences?
"Being a teen-ager would be a great time in life if it weren't for my parents."
"School would be a lot of fun if it weren't for all that learning."
"Working for a paycheck would be great if I didn't have to pay so many taxes."
"Our relationship would be wonderful if he/she would do things my way."
"I hate my good-for-nothing outdated old car."
That's just a sample. I'm sure if you monitor your day today, you will come across something that in your frustration you are sure your life would be better off without -- until you stop and think of all the benefits that it brings into your life. We can actually learn to love and value some of the things (people), in our lives that cause us frustration at times. It's a matter of perspective. Wisdom chooses to weigh the value of things - even the seemingly unpleasant things - and develop an attitude of gratitude for those that add value in some manner or another.
And when we get very mature in our wisdom, we will even begin to value the trials and sufferings in life. They add value because they develop perseverance and character, and strengthen our faith as we learn to appropriate grace through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-5). But, let's not push ourselves too fast. Let's just look for the ox in our stall today and try not to focus too much on the mess he made there. That can be challenge enough.