I sometimes regard myself as a “wisdom junkie”. I try to pickup principles and insights in all kinds of circumstances and situations. I pray often for God to give me wisdom for the matters which He brings across my plate. So when I come across a Scripture that calls attention to things that are “exceedingly wise”, I take special note. Proverbs 30:24-28 describes four things in this way; here’s a rundown, plus my top takeaway from each.
- Ants who gather food in summer – Planning in times of plenty will pay off in times of lack.
- Badgers who make their homes in rocks – Choose your base of operations wisely; it will protect you from challenges in the future.
- Locusts go out in ranks, with no leader – A crowd of wise people can organize itself around a goal, even without someone being in charge.
- Lizard can be caught by the hand, but makes it’s home in king’s palaces – Even if something is a weakness, you can use it to your advantage and engage it as a strength, as the lizard does with his size.
I could delve deeper into each of these principles another time, but if you’re interested, here’s a quick suggestion I wrote for a new way to try planning for a coming season. To learn from the ant, try this exercise with a focus on resources. What resources are you currently enjoying plenty, that you should potentially prepare for a season to come when they may not be available? Money, staff, volunteers, etc. – all could change in the future. How should you plan to be ready if they did?