Lessons I learned from Little “Can Doers”

There is so much that we can learn from examples of other living creatures. So is the case with four little things that the Bible states are exceedingly wise in the book of Proverbs. Although they are small in size, that didn’t stop them from achieving their goals.  Each one, in its own unique way, teaches us valuable lessons that will help us on our journey. I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned from what I called Little Can Doers from Proverbs 30:24-28. (KJV)

There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:  Proverbs 30:24

Proverbs 30:25   The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.

What I learned from this little can doer is that nothing just happens.  She (the ant) plans for her future and for what’s to come.  She knows if she wants to have food when winter comes, she must prepare for it today.  Sometimes I would wait till winter was here only to discover that I should have made preparations before it came.  I realize now that if I fail to plan, I plan to fail.

Proverbs 30:26  The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.

These little can doers taught me about the importance of building on a solid foundation (the rocks).  The rocks are also a safe haven where they can find safety from predators and shelter from life’s storms.  We also have a solid foundation, the word of God and when we build on it, we too are able to stand against the storms of life.

Proverbs 30:27  The locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands (gathered together).

The lesson I learned from these little can doers is the importance of unity and teamwork.  I remember many times trying to do things by myself.  I didn’t think I needed help so I would not ask for it.  I since discovered that no man is an island and we all need each other to help us alone the way.  And we can do more together than we can ever do apart.

Proverbs 30:28  The spider takes hold with her hands, and is in the kings’ palaces.

 

Obviously, spiders do not have hands but she uses her own ability to reach higher levels. There are certain gifts and talents that we have been given.  The lesson I learned from the spider is to hold on and to not give up but most of all, to persevere and use what you have. As a spider she has the ability to use her web to pull herself up. No wonder she’s in the kings’ palace!  We all have something in our “own hands” but the question is, are we using it?

Each one of these little can doers could have thought, I am too little to accomplish anything or they could have sat and did nothing.  No, they are all can doers because they discovered what they could do and did it.  We don’t have to do everything, but we should DO SOMETHING with what we know.  I challenge you to think about that because the greatest lesson I learned from these four little can doers is that we are Can Doers too.

In Pursuit of Purpose,

Rosa

It’s Never Too Late

Have you ever wondered if it is too late to begin again? Let me answer that question with a big “NO”. No matter how old or young you are, it is never too late to start over. We can still fulfill our goals in life even if we haven’t pursued them in a long time. But all too often, we give up on our dreams because we think it’s too late for them to come to pass. We start feeling as if it is a waste of time to even bother pursing them any longer.

If this has happened to you, you are not alone. After I turned 50 years “young”, I started looking at where I was and what I had accomplished. And although I have had some good things happen in my life, many of my goals had not come to pass. I had allowed circumstances and other things to take priority and I simply put my dreams on hold. I wanted to fulfill them, but they always seemed like a distant glimpse into nowhere.

One of my goals was to become a writer. I have always had a passion for writing but I never pursued it for very long. I would start writing articles in a local newspaper then stop. I would start again and then stop again. Somehow, other things took preference over my desire to write. Eventually, I just let it slip away.

But lately, God has been reminding me of the gift He gave me. As a matter of fact, His exact word to me from the beginning was “there’s a writer in you”. And although God gave me the gift, it is up to me to cultivate it and use it to bring Him glory. But now I had put it aside. I had not written anything in months. It still seemed like that “distant thing” to me.

Maybe you’ve been like me and thought it was too late to begin again, but it is not. We can start over. We have so much potential and the ability that have never been explored. The good news is there is still time to explore. I encourage you to begin again. Maybe you are afraid because you have tried once and failed. Well, if at first you don’t succeed try again. I am changing my perspective. I am seeing myself reaching my goals before I accurately do. I am seeing my way there. I am reminded of the childhood story, “The Little Engine That Could”. She was a small engine that was asked to pull a big freight train over a mountain. Although she was very small, she agreed to do it. She started moving up the mountain very slowly saying, “I think I can, I think I can”. She didn’t look at how small she was and think it was impossible for her to pull such a big train uphill. Instead she looked ahead to where she was going. She made one “step” then another and kept moving. The part that amazes me is that when she reached her destination she said, “I thought I could, I thought I could”. She saw that she could do it and she did.

What could we accomplish if we started believing that we could like the Little Engine? That’s why it is important to believe in yourself. Believe that you will do it this time. Believe that you will accomplish your goals. Then, take the first step by beginning again.

Well, I am here today taking that first step. I am beginning again by starting this blog, 1) in obedience to God and 2) to let you know that it’s never too late. Join me as I pursue my writing gift and remember, just like me, you can indeed begin again.

In Pursuit of Purpose,

Rosa