Proverbs 14:4
"Where there are no oxen the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the power of the ox."
My readings in the book of proverbs paused over this wise saying. I've never used an ox or had to clean up after one for that matter, yet this proverb causes me pause. It reminds me of another proverb not in Scripture, "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, take someone with you".
Both of these sayings strike a sensitive part of my character. I like to go fast and I like a clean stall. However, there is very little worth accomplishing that does not require others and the mess they inevitably make. My life would be cleaner without children and also much more empty. My life would be faster without my wife and yet far less sanctified. I could create a ministry tomorrow by myself and yet it's longevity would be far less optimistic without faithful partners that take years to cultivate. The process of adding others to the task takes far more time and is far more messy than going it alone and yet the presence of others in life is essential to anything eternal.
One final thought on the idea of a clean stall when there's no ox...often it easy to view others as the ones who make things messy. While children cause clutter and wives create hair in the bathroom it is there presence in our lives that unearth our own messiness. Their presence in our lives exposes the hidden selfishness and pride in our own hearts like a spotlight on a dark stage. Without their presence I would not know how dirty my own stall is. While is it true that the stall is cleaner without others. It also never gets cleaned.
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