The Beaver vs. The Sluggard

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, 8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. 9How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep-- 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
-Proverbs 6:6-11

Every summer, my family looks forward to renting a cottage for a week or two. Throughout the year, we all get tired of the busy city life and look forward to spending a week in nature, God and each other. This year, we went further than usual, to the real “bush”. My Dad and I really enjoy fishing, so we always make sure that there is a lake that has lots of fish. This year, we rented a cottage in northern Ontario that was right by a small lake. When we went fishing, we saw many animals, the most fascinating of all, were the beavers.

One particular day, we were fishing and we heard a loud thump, as if someone was hitting the water. Turning around, all we saw was water flying everywhere. We wondered what it was, but kept on fishing. Later, we saw a beaver swimming around in the lake. My Dad and I were fascinated and watched him swim the rest of the evening. Sometimes, he would swim towards his dam with a small branch in his mouth or dive into the water to swim to his home. Each night, without fail, we would see him swimming about, fixing his house and chewing on wood. My Dad and I would usually leave as soon as it was dark, but one evening, we stayed out later and saw the whole family come out of their dam. Mother, Father, and the baby beavers would all work tirelessly to add more branches to their home, and eat wood. I couldn't believe how hard they all worked to keep their home in tact and to feed themselves.

Those beavers really made me think. They are just animals, but they are such hard workers. Every night, they came out to look for food and to fix their home. King Solomon talked about ants and how hard working they are. Parhaps we can learn the same thing from beavers. If the beaver decide that he was tired and didn't want to go out of his home, his dam would eventually fall apart, and he would starve. The Bible constantly tells us that God will make sure that our bread and water will be sure, but it does tell us that God wants us to be hard workers and not lazy. God is willing to help us do our best work, but we need to make the choice to do it! Why don't we all learn from the beaver and do our best work, and God will be sure to bless us!