No More New Year's Resolutions

                

by Allison J. Bundy Travis

          As 2012 comes to an end, usually my friends, mostly women, vow saying, “Next year I will lose weight or fit into that killer dress.  Next year, I will save my money so that I can go on my fantasy trip.  Next year, I will control my temper more.  Next year, I will meet my husband.  Next year, I will buy my house. Next year, I will start my business.”  On and on these conversations take place at the local coffee shops, book stores, work places, and dare I say, churches.  They most often are focused on material and not spiritual goals.

Now, there is nothing wrong with setting a goal for yourself, however, the Spirit is leading me to ask, “How much more time do you need?”  Year after year we are saying the same things; at least I know that I am.  Often, New Year’s resolutions become so robotic that they are just something people say and never follow or complete. We are so caught up that we do not realize that God has already provided us with the help, materials, and knowledge we need to fulfill our goals. We have to start looking with our spiritual eyes. Join me in a new revolution of women taking a stand against procrastination and raising a standard for action!

Recently, I heard a brother from my church, Carnie Ashe, give a meditation at a local bible school we are attending and it touched me so deeply that I wanted to pass on some of the essential messages to you sisters.  It helped me put a lot into perspective.  So, with his permission, I am passing along the message, story, and its theme to you.  It is entitled, “Aint You Ready?”

Aint You Ready?

Proverbs 6:6 NIV “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!”

He started by sharing a short story we should be familiar with or perhaps have experienced, or will experience, one time or another in our life. It’s a fable entitled “The Grasshopper and the Ant”. He referred to it as “The Ant and the Grasshopper” because of the way the ant deals with the grasshopper. So with that being said…

            The Grasshopper and the Ants

In a field one summer's day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled to carry plump kernels of corn.

"Where are you going with those heavy things?" asked the grasshopper.

Without stopping, the first ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've delivered today."

"Why not come and sing with me, “teased the grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?"

"We are helping to store food for the winter," said the ant, "and think you should do the same."

"Winter is far away, and it is a glorious day to play," sang the grasshopper.

But the ants went on their way and continued their hard work.

     The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger.

     He staggered to the ants' hill, and saw them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer. He begged them for something to eat.

"What!" cried the ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"

"I didn't have time to store any food," complained the grasshopper; "I was so busy playing music that before I knew it the summer was gone."

      The ants shook their heads in disgust, turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work.

I appreciate Brother Carnie sharing that story because it made me think deeper about procrastination.  There are lessons to be learned by observing the characters in the story. Let’s look closer at the main characters in the fable.  First, let’s examine the ants which can be seen as role models in preparation for times to come. 

Ants

Ants are working on a hot summer day in unity gathering supplies. They do not let the heat stop them and they are supporting each other in reaching a common goal: surviving the winter.

As women, many of us are the head of households responsible for providing for our children financially and spiritually.  As we face the winter, we should act like the ants. The winter may be a physical season of unemployment when bills are due, or a time when the holidays arrive  and children expect  gifts, a time when the support checks are slow or never arrive, or a period when you have no way to make ends meet.  The winter could also be a spiritual season where you are tired and worn out from dealing with a trauma or loss, facing emotional or physical abuse from a spouse, or are ready to just give up.  Whatever your personal winter, God is the answer and prayer is the believers day to day work.  Just like the ants working tirelessly gathering food for the winter, we should be women tirelessly seeking God’s word or daily bread for us to be sustained in the winter of our lives.  (Matthew 4:4 NIV “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[a]”)

We also see that the ants continued working in the heat.  Sometimes when things get too heated for us, we stop or walk away.  Whether it is a heated argument, or trials that we do not want to endure, we may choose to ignore it rather than deal with it.  But God allows us to go through the heat of life so that we can be purified and refined. (Psalm 66:10 NIV “For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.)  Furthermore, the ants supported one another.  Think what the world would be like if Christian women united supporting one another in all things setting godly examples for others to follow leaving traces, tracks, and crumbs of the word of God everywhere they walked just as the ant left behind particles of food they were gathering.

Grasshoppers

The grasshopper is portrayed as a procrastinator; Latin derived

Pro-meaning forward; Cras meaning tomorrow (forward till tomorrow)

Procrastination refers to the act of replacing high priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one gain enjoyment, and putting off important tasks to a later time.

The bible refers to these individuals as Sluggards. 

·        When a woman is called a slug it’s usually because she seeks an easy lifestyle.  They are lazy, and like taking advantage of the fortunes and misfortune of others.

·         Slugs retreat into their shells or under a rock when danger comes. They cannot think for themselves. They fear to hearken to word of the lord. They have no backbone.

·        They are slimy-meaning they are not trustworthy. They lie, cheat and manipulate every situation to come out on top. They don’t like losing.

·         Slugs move by crawling, swimming, or floating with currents (they go with the flow) much like the world. Remember when we use to be in the world? Glory be to God that He called us out of darkness into His marvelous light to be the salt of the earth. Wherever the snail goes it leaves a trail of slime.

·        They eat off of living and decaying plants. The Christian believer is commanded, to eat the word of God, which is alive and nourishes our spiritual bodies.

·         Slugs are nocturnal animals which mean they are more active at night. Sluggards like to sleep while others are working. They expect everyone else to do their work.  But while she is sleeping, does she know that poverty is coming upon her like a prowler?

·        Sluggards are always, not sometimes, dreaming of wealth. However, they often end up poor because they rather sleep and take it easy instead of working.

·        The sluggard is also full of poor excuses

 

So, as 2013 begins, challenge yourself to be more like the ants.  Let’s set aside our grasshopper ways.  For in doing so we won’t have to fabricate New Year’s resolutions anymore, but we will simply not procrastinate bringing about our own demise.  The time is now for you to do all that God is calling for you to do. Let’s walk in the blessings God has already provided for us. As long as we continue in his word, we will persevere through all obstacles like our dear little ants.