Getting My Hands Dirty

     I wonder how many of us have had our fill today. Our fill of food, fill of struggle, fill of pleasantry. We have all been filled with something. One of the things I've been filled with is the thought of poverty. Not poverty in the context of money, but poverty in the context of destitute living. As I was cleaning up my desk, I came across a notecard on which I had written:

"He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one 

who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty." (Proverbs 28:19) 

     As a person who has no problem allowing my imagination to take me to faraway places, this is such a vital verse for me. So often I catch myself sitting around chasing fantasies in my head.  I began wondering if anyone else does the same. How many of us are foolishly praying for our territory to be expanded when it's comprised of nothing but barren soil?  Do we really want more of nothing?  Are we sitting around waiting for the "thing" that we believe will lead us to the happily-ever-after instead of shoving our hands in the dirt and working our land?

• Do I desire to raise God-fearing, respectful children, but succumb to them when they throw their fits when I say no? 
• Do I desire to lose weight, but refuse to acknowledge my poor eating habits and refuse to exercise using busyness or lack of interest as an excuse? 
• Do I desire a great relationship with my husband, but refuse to admit where I might be failing, ready to point the finger at him? 
• Do I desire to cultivate strong friendships, but bail at the first sign of hardship, disagreement, or difficult circumstance?
• Do I desire a deep relationship with the Lord, but refuse to spend time praying or studying the Bible? 

     I can think of so many more. The point is, all of the beginning scenarios are only fantasies if I'm not willing to get my hands dirty and start cultivating from the ground up. I've got to examine the soil around me, and most importantly, in me. What needs to be added? What needs to be cleared away? I'm learning that until I'm willing to sweat, and start digging, I'll never grow a crop much less an abundance of food. If all I do is chase the possibilities, the fantasies, I will end up living in a destitute state, with my fill of poverty.
     So does this mean that I'm going to stop dreaming and envisioning wonderful possibilities? Not hardly. But I am praying that the fantasies won't be purely fiction once I begin to work this ground around me. And I pray that out of the abundance of food, the Lord might allow me to share it with others who might be needing a little bit of sustenance while they work their own land.