10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
Proverbs 6:10-11
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
Haggai 1:6
Panic Mode
Do the Hustle or not? The world is constantly pushing to hustle more and make it happen. Dave Ramsey is known for suggesting people get a temporary job to make extra money and get out of debt. There are more ads than I can count about developing a side hustle and turning it into a career. The world tells us to just work harder and we will fulfill our dreams. So, when life throws us a curve ball like losing a job, unexpected bills, or rising gas prices, we automatically go into panic mode and start searching for a third job.
For decades I have taken on extra jobs in hopes of finally getting ahead financially. Inevitably, there were always unexpected bills that ate up any extra money I made. My money bag had holes like a sieve. Finally, I had enough. There had to be another way.
At the beginning of this year I started to work on a budget, but the numbers were not adding up. There seemed to be no way to pay everything that needed to be paid. I was moving toward panic mode and searching for a third job, or even a new job that paid more money. Pursuing a writing career was both exciting and time-consuming. What it was not was profitable. I got a temporary third job, but it didn’t take long to see I was miserable doing it, my writing was getting pushed aside, and I still was not making enough money. What was a girl to do?
Pendulum Swing
When faced with sudden hardships, people tend to swing to one of two extremes: either they work themselves to death or cover their heads in bed and hope it all goes away. Neither extreme is effective in the long run. The answer lies somewhere in the middle. The Bible tells us to do all things in moderation.
The two Bible verses for today seem like contradictions. One says to be working, while the other says you work but you never have enough. It’s a paradox, but a closer look can help us find the middle ground.
Paradox and Priorities
Proverbs 6 warns us about sleeping our way through life. If we are not willing to work, then we will soon find ourselves in poverty. Haggai 1 tells us that we work, but nothing comes of it. It looks like there is not a good solution. However, Haggai goes on to explain why all of their work came to nothing: priorities and provision.
Both the books of Zechariah and Haggai are messages of encouragement to rebuild the temple. Nehemiah had started the process eighteen years earlier by rebuilding the walls and laying the foundation for the temple, but the work had still not been done. God had called them to a work, but they were occupied with doing what they wanted to do. This is why their work was coming to nothing.
Provision
God promises to provide for all of our needs, but our part is to be obedient to His will and to trust His provision. A great example of obedience and trust can be found in the autobiography of George Müller. He felt led by God to build orphanages, but he didn’t have the money for the project. He prayed that provision would be made in a way that would glorify God. Time and again God came through just when they needed it most and often in extraordinary ways. They never borrowed money or purchased things on a line of credit. Yet, they always had what they needed.
When I finally came out of panic mode, I prayed that God would provide in a way that would glorify Him. In the next few weeks God began making provisions for me in ways I had not considered: a tax credit paid for my health insurance, other bills were reduced, and money came from unexpected sources. In the meantime, I was carrying on my writing, which is what I felt called to do, and happier than I had been in a long time.
Purpose
When we get our eyes and heart set on God’s purpose for our lives, He will provide. He wants us to do our best and work hard, but He also wants us to enjoy life. Many times that means trusting God when all seems to be lost. It means moving forward one step at a time even though we can’t see where it is leading. It means enjoying each moment we’ve been given instead of wasting time and energy in worry and anxiety. It’s not always easy, but it is always worth it. Unless it comes from God don’t do the hustle, just Trust and Obey.
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Know that you are prayed for each day young lady. Learning that “we can only make hay when the sun is shining, and remembering that God is the One who makes the sun shine” is crucial to living a fulfilled life. I’ve learned in semi-retirement that God sometimes wants us to life an unbalanced life. He’ll bring work to me to save up for the financial dry season, but it’s in those periods that I’m most productive for Him.