No Deer in the Cabin
I learned to hunt by peppering my uncle with questions on hunting trips.
Learning about a deer’s movement, the right equipment, and the impact of weather (especially wind) is fascinating.
One afternoon in the cabin, during a slight drizzle, I asked if it was worth going out to sit in the stand. Hunters debate the impact of rain on deer, but they don’t debate the pain of getting soaking wet and cold.
I had limited time to hunt but I didn’t want to suffer needlessly.
My uncle replied, “I’m not sure what you’ll see today, but I know for sure you won’t kill a deer sitting in the cabin!”
Wisdom so simple you might miss it.
I can’t predict what will happen, but I can promise doing nothing produces nothing.
Taking initiative is not a nugget of wisdom that started with my uncle.
Proverbs is full of warnings against sloth and excuses that empower laziness.
Here’s a sample:
Proverbs 13:4 – "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied."
Proverbs 14:23 – "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."
Proverbs 20:4 – "Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing."
Proverbs 22:13 – "The sluggard says, 'There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!'"
Proverbs is also full of commendations for hard, proactive work.
Here are a few:
Proverbs 10:4 – "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth."
Proverbs 12:24 – "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor."
Proverbs 21:5 – "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
Proverbs 22:29 – "Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank."
Nevertheless, our culture is losing its initiative.
Younger generations are going on fewer dates, getting married less and slower, and having fewer children.
The foundational blocks of human society are showing dramatic initiative decline! How much more will this impact other ventures?
The church is not immune to this.
I’ve listened to several young men express interest in the office of pastor, only to then pull away from training for ministry because “I’m not sure if I’m called.”
There’s wisdom in humbly recognizing that churches must call pastors of character. No one (biblically) ordains themselves.
Many young men need my uncle’s wisdom, “I’m not sure if you’ll become a pastor. But the way to guarantee you don’t become a pastor is to never train and strive toward that end!”
Ecclesiastes offers a helpful anti-dote to our anti-risk society: Put hard work into many endeavors!
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:6
Don’t believe the cradle-to-grave conveyor belt of consumerism, dependence, and safety sold to you by our culture.
Get up and seize the day!
You cannot predict how life will go, so get up and work towards the way you want it to go!
You can’t control your Creator or command the future for Him. We humbly bow to Him when we work hard with what is in front of us.
Our inability to control outcomes should lead us to humbly diversify, not pacify!
11 Ship your grain across the sea;
After many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:1–6