verse 19: “The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns, But the path of the upright is a highway.”
There are several thoughts that come to mind when I meditated on this verse. I’ve driven down highways and plowed through hedges (not with the car, mind you!). I read in my Holman commentary the reminder about how God blesses the upright. I’ve been a sluggard at times, too. But, I think I’ll share this memory God brought to my mind.
Back in college, I played in the university band. During the football season, we had an open Saturday in which there was no football game scheduled. Our trombone section decided to throw a social party. Our section leader had arranged for us to use an outdoor pavilion for the party, and we decided to meet there several hours before so we could get it ready. The majority of the trombone section arrived before the section leader only to discover that the pavilion was pretty much a covered slab with maybe one or two picnic tables…not exactly the facilities the majority of the section was expecting to throw a party with! So while we waited for the section leader to arrive, most of the group stood around grousing and complaining about the setup. I looked over to one side and found a broom….so I decided to start sweeping. I figured if we were going to have the party there anyway, I might as well start cleaning. It was a pretty long slab, but I kept sweeping at it while the others complained.
Eventually, one of the group noticed me sweeping and asked why I was doing it; that it was too huge a slab to sweep, and it was for naught anyway. I simply replied that if we were going to have the party there, we might as well get the area cleaned up; even if we didn’t have the party there, it was something to do besides stand around and complain. While that didn’t satisfy all the complainers, I like to think that maybe I got the attention of some of them. I had almost finished by the time the section leader arrived. Long story short, we did move to another location, but I was glad I did something constructive while we waited. Actually, what seemed like an insurmountable task to me (sweeping that slab) was more like an open highway than a hedge of thorns.
Something to think about today.
Combing The Word 