Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox. Proverbs 14:4
As I was reading this chapter of Proverbs the other day, I was struck by this one and had to think about for a few minutes. It reminded me of a sermon Pastor Shawn preached years ago about people being a “treasure in a field” where every person has a little bit of treasure and a little bit of dirt in them, and you can’t separate the two. However, your attitude on any given day will determine whether you fixate on the dirt or on the treasure; that, my friends, is entirely up to you. How many times do we highlight the shortcomings of others that get under our skin? Do any of these sentiments sound familiar to you?
- I can’t keep my house clean because of these kids!
- It drives me crazy that my friend is so forgetful!
- My husband failed to take the trash out again!
- This co-worker of mine is always creating more work for me!
I’m sure we could go on and on about the things that rub us the wrong way about the people around us at times…but do we ever stop to recognize what a BLESSING these very same people are to us? We can also choose to overlook the frustrations that others cause and be grateful we have children safe at home to dirty our houses, friends and family close enough to do life with, and co-workers working alongside us to propel our work forward.
We need to remember that when all we see is dirt in others, we need to ask God to allow us to see them through His eyes and just watch the treasure become more pronounced! Help us, Lord, to recognize the blessings that people are in our lives and to increase the days that we see more treasure than dirt.