A WORD TO THE WISE. PROVERBS 31: 27. "Sacrificing Nothing"

Proverbs 31: 27     She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31: 27.  Do you remember the children’s story, “The Little Red Hen”?

There was this little red hen who came upon some grains of wheat.  She asked all of the farm animals to help her plant the wheat.  Each one said, “No.  Not I.” So she planted the wheat all by herself.

The little red hen asked for help weeding the green stalks when they came up.  She asked for help plucking the wheat, threshing the wheat.  She asked for help taking the wheat the mill.  She asked for help baking the ground wheat flour.  Each time the other farm creatures replied, “No.  Not I.”  So, she did all of the work herself.

Finally, the little red hen emerged from her kitchen with a warm, freshly baked loaf of bread.  (The picture books always showed a loaf that was bigger than the hen carrying it.)   She asked if there was anyone to help her eat the bread, and every animal on the farm stood up and shouted, “I will.” 

“No, you won’t,” replied the little red hen.  “I will eat it myself, just me and my little chicks.”  And that is exactly what they did.

The animals on the farm wanted to eat without working.  They wanted the enjoy the bread of idleness.

Sometimes people fail because they won’t sacrifice some thing:  some destructive relationship, some self-destructive habit, some token of security that keeps them from advancing . 

But other times---- most of the time--- people fail to succeed because they won’t sacrifice their nothings.  They won’t give up the time they spend doing nothing.  They won’t give up the time they spend reading nothing.  They won’t give up the time they spend learning nothing.  They won’t give up the time they spend not practicing, not calling, not emailing, not pursuing opportunities, not exercising their gifts.

It’s possible to miss your chance because you were doing the wrong thing, but it’s more common to miss your chance because you were doing NO THING.

And there are some people, including some women, who actually expect to have everything they’ve dreamed of while holding on to their nothings.  They expect to eat the bread of idleness.

Bro, you don’t need a woman like that.   You need a woman who will plant, and weed, and pluck, and grind away while all of her friends are waiting for Prince Baller to ride through and drop a loaf of bread on their nightstands.

The little red hen you’re looking for may or may not work outside the home.  But she does work.  She sacrifices idle time to make sure that the children are taken care of.  She sacrifices do-nothing time to learn how to take better care of the house.  She gives up the many nothings she could do, and she does everything possible to make her family more and more successful.  

But them other chicks……..?  

If you run across one of those women who wants to do nothing outside the home, and do nothing from home, and do nothing in the home, but she expects you to give her everything she wants------ then you answer, “No.  Not I.”

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Hall Memorial CME Church in Montgomery, Alabama, executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO) and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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