I'm reading through Proverbs right now, just a few chapters a day, and this morning I read chapters 11, 12, and 13. I was particularly struck by two verses. They piqued my interest for different reasons. It wasn't until later when sharing my thoughts with my wife that I realized they worked really well together.

Proverbs 12:27

The first verse that stuck out to me was Proverbs 12:27.

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

Before I even finished the verse I had a flashback to a time as a teenager where I was too lazy to make myself some food. I was probably 14 or 15. I remember laying on the couch and feeling like I was too weak to get up, starving to death. I considered rallying myself, walking 10 feet to the kitchen and making some lunch but my hunger pains were too great (so I convinced myself) and I resolved to wait for my mom to get home from her errands and ask her to make me something. After about 30 minutes laying on the couch, finally the hunger grew too much, I got up and made myself a sandwich.

It wasn't exactly "roasting game" but I think this was a pretty close modern analog. I don't consider myself a slothful person but I can admit in that moment that I should have just walked to the kitchen and made my food without all the bellyaching and expectation for someone else to take care of me.

I feel compelled to point out that while I don't "consider" myself to suffer from slothfulness I think it is important to recognize that I have concrete evidence to that at least sometimes I can be. We often tell ourselves ego-protecting stories that we aren't beholden to so-and-so vice but when we look at our actions or behaviors and evaluate them objectively we may be forced to admit otherwise.

PRoverbs 13:11

The next verse I came across was in the next chapter. This time it was Proverbs 13:11 that caught my eye.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

My middle son was telling me about the progress he was making with his soccer skills. Each day (most days...) he picks a skill they have been working on in practice and attempts it 100 times. At first he was really intimidated by practicing something so many times in a single day but soon realized that it would only take him about 15 minutes. He was so excited to report that his efforts had been paying off.

This verse reminds me that it is the slow and steady effort that really produces results. Often you can even get away with far less time than you expect, maybe only 15 minutes a day, so long as you work diligently and consistently.

Bringing it All Together

I finished my reading for the day, prayed, and moved on without too much thought. It wasn't until later that I was talking with my wife and the (somewhat obvious) connection between these verses really dawned on me.

Their is a type of slothfulness that is always trying to figure out how to make it big. To instantly win. Theorycrafting the "best" scenario is far easier that getting up and putting in the work and has the lingering promise that one day you will figure it all out and win faster than the people who are working right now.

A diligent man works day by day to produce wealth. He works hard, he practices his craft, and while he may never see a windfall, his efforts will compound and grow. The great thing about the diligent approach though is that it makes a difference now. The slothful man spends all his time in his own imagination, the diligent man is changing the world from the moment he commits. And in the end, he doesn't only build wealth, he builds the skills and experience needed to be a man who keeps his wealth and uses it effectively.