A Lesson from Motherhood
A mother’s instinct is a sweet gift. No other can decipher your baby’s cry or call for attention quite like you. Within a few short weeks of being home, you can already tell if you are hearing a hungry cry, gas pain cry, diaper change whimper, or content belly sigh. As we rock and sing for hours in a day, we study their faces. We experience the brief smiles and grins while they’re sleeping soundly that others miss. We cherish the little things; tiny fingers wrapped around ours, hiccups, swaddling just right, the clean baby lotion nostalgia. We know when it’s time to eat, nap, play, change, and bathe. We know our babies. If something goes awry, we are well equipped to handle the matter. We know well the condition of our flock
A Lesson from Scripture
During Solomon’s time period, sheep and goats were a basic and necessary commodity for sustaining life. When families were attentive and took care of their flocks, they could comfortably eat and clothe themselves, even if the ecomony faltered or war broke out. They knew and respected the importance of maintaining their flocks. Another translation of the beginning of Proverbs 27:23 says Be diligent to know the state of your flocks … The word diligent in Hebrew is osparna, meaning thoroughly, with (all) diligence, great care, or strictly. Families were to know their flocks so well, so intimately, they could recognize each individual animal, it’s health, and normal behaviors. If an animal were to go missing or become ill, these events would not go unnoticed
Solomon had more than enough animals. A few lost to predators, a few taken by disease.. I’m sure if one of his thousands of goats disappeared, there wouldn’t have been drastic repercussions. Yet, he’s clear in his message: Know well, be diligent, pay attention to your herds. Don’t take any of your provisions for granted.
The backbone of building wealth is to know the condition of your money. How well do you know your provisions? Do you know the amount of income coming in and going out? Do you know when a bill seems too high on a utility statement? Do you pay attention to the charges for eating out?
The best way to know your money well and pay attention to it’s health is through a budget.
Your money needs a schedule and routine, just like your flock. That way, when all is well or in times of recession, you can handle each situation comfortably because you know the condition of your accounts
Next Steps helpful links to get started on a budget
