Proverbs 14:3-4

“By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”

This is one of my favorite scriptures in the whole Bible. It’s one of my faves because it affirms something that maturity tells us day in and day out. Life is messy, and it keeps getting messier! But it’s okay because there is going to be fruit for that. Rule number one that this scripture suggests is don’t over commit. Foolishness in the dictionary can be defined as lack of wisdom or insight to the future. Use your mouth and words to build up your future rather burden your future. Protect the time that you have and understand the amount of time that certain things will take you, otherwise you place a rod on your back that you won’t even be able to move under.

The next verse blows my mind because it reminds us that wisdom isn’t always an easy schedule, it’s just a worthy one. Sometimes you will have a lot on your plate and that’s just the season you are in. Think of oxen as the commitments you make. Sure, in a life of no responsibility there is no mess, but there is also no fruit and that is not the empty life God asks of us. He never said he wanted a ‘pretty’ life, but He did say He wanted a fruitful life. If you are in a busy season, don’t immediately look for escape exits to all these commitments. Stay in the game and keep your ‘oxen’ in their place because although it might look messy, it’s going to be worth it when the pay off comes.

Evaluate what you are committed to and take time to envision the benefits of that commitment. If you struggle with this on certain responsibilities, perhaps prayerfully consider taking things off your plate. Remember, the difficulty of the task isn’t what matters, it’s the fruit that defines whether or not it’s worth it.