4 minute read
Sand in the gears
A gospel of grit
Why would God’s Word care about a cranky spouse or a mouthful of gravel?
Our society loves to graze, to nibble. Many popular eateries now specialize in tapas rather than fullcourse meals.
I decided to follow this when asked to speak at a reception. I used soundbites borrowed from great people of the past. Since I am not burdened by any need to hold an original thought, I am content with the wisdom of others.
I told the audience that I was about to share, in compressed form, the sum total of everything I had learned in life. (Some of them then expected a time of complete silence.) For example: • From the playwright Anton Chekhov: “Any idiot can face a crisis — it’s this day-to-day living that wears you out.” • From the eminent Haitian philosopher B. Boku: “When in deep water, it is a good idea to keep the mouth shut.” • From Travis McGee, prominent American social theorist: “It is amazing how long it takes to complete something you are not working on.” • Then there’s this Chinese soundbite that appeals to a Mennonite sense of thrift: “It is not economical to go to bed early to save the candles if the result is twins.”
Believe it or not, the Bible also has soundbites. We call them proverbs. The Book of Proverbs is loaded with tidbits of wisdom for everyday living.
Our churches usually don’t pay much attention to Proverbs. That’s too bad. The Book of Proverbs has a special role in that it refl ects the human side of Scripture. How could we doubt the humanity of a writer who gives us Proverbs like 21:19 — “Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome spouse.” And then a few chapters later, with growing frustration, tells us that a cranky spouse is like the constant drip of water.
The role of Proverbs is to be a connecting link between God and the ordinary activities of life. Here is a book that clearly grasps the risks and perversities of daily life but still calls us to something higher. Here is where the grit of life comes together with the glory of transcendence.
Look at the day-to-day business instruction we get in Proverbs:
• “Like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employer.” (10:26)
Then there’s a political proverb (4:27): “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
Here’s one you won’t hear in any sermon: Proverbs 14:4 — “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” What does this mean? “Yeah, you can have a clean barn, but what will that get you? No oxen, no manure. But if you want a harvest, you will have to put up with some mess.”
Why would this part of the Bible contain such earthy material?
Out of these homespun bits of wisdom comes the serious truth that God is in everything.
God doesn’t dip into human life for Sunday morning and then take off for the rest of the week. God isn’t like a bear who hibernates for six days and wakes up to wander into our lives on the seventh. God is present in the frantic activity of daily, ordinary existence.
God’s Word cares about the ordinary activities of daily life. Like making a living. Like entrepreneurship. Like creating jobs.
Here’s a suggestion: Why not look for the places where God is present in your job or industry. Make up a Proverb about the work you do from Monday to Friday. Put it on a plaque and hang it in your workplace.
The daily grind of the marketplace is more important than we often think.
Our work matters to God. — Bartholomew Wiens
• “Do not quarrel with anyone without cause.” (3:30) • “How long will you lie there, O lazybones?” (6:9) • “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.” (11:1) • “Have no fear of sudden disaster.” (3:25) • “All hard work brings a profi t, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” (14:23) • “Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.” (20:17) • “‘It’s no good, it’s no good!’ says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.” (20:14)
