The Ant & The Grasshopper

You lazy fool, look at an ant.  Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Proverbs 6:6 (The Message)

Never before did I think I would be studying an ant or a grasshopper! After all, when it comes to insects, I am a girly girl, who cannot stand them! 

But, here I am, studying ants and grasshoppers... 

Now, I don't mean scientifically; but rather, studying what the Bible has to say about them, and how I can learn from them. You see, as Aesop's Fables has also taught us, the ant and the grasshopper are quite opposite creatures. The ant knows how to work hard, obsessively even, toward the goal at hand (storing away food for winter).  The grasshopper is very lazy; dancing away it's summer days without a care in the world.

I began to study this, when preparing for a Bible study.   While getting my lesson plan ready, I came upon Proverbs 6:6 as one of the verses we were going to review.  The lesson was about balancing time between work and rest, and the ant and the grasshopper are great examples of extremes of both!

Now, from what I can tell, Proverbs 6:6 is telling us not to be lazy, and to learn solid work ethic from the ant and it's diligent, obsessive, never-ending toil.  And that is a great thing to strive for, when it is time to work, but what about when it is time to rest?

The grasshopper is actually a good example of how to act when it is time to rest.   He lays around lazily, taking in the sun and his surroundings.  He has not a care in the World. 

Our lives NEED to have a balance between work and rest!  Sometimes the pace of life just doesn't seem to allow any time for rest!  

I recommended to my Bible Study group, that the first step to time of rest is scheduling it in!   That we MUST put it on our planners, as an appointment, so to speak!  I prefer to start with church; church is on my planner very regularly, and it is certainly a place in which I find rest and rejuvenation!  I also find much mental rest while exercising, as long as I listen to upbeat Christian music while working out.   

There are many spiritually revitalizing things, that can also be used as your time of rest, in order to rejuvenate mind, heart, and soul.....  My suggestions would be quiet Bible study, daily devotions, reading Christian Blogs in a peaceful setting, listening to Christian music, attending Christian groups, attending worship, and much more! 

Please feel free to use the image that I created, below, to remind you to BALANCE work and rest, and to work diligently like the ant, but to rest lazily like the grasshopper! 

Blessings to you all!