“One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a slob; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.
I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:
“A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!” Proverbs 24: 30-34 (MSG)

I’m not much into astrology, but from the little I’ve read and understood, my sign is Taurus. Yeah, a stubborn bull pretty much describes me.

Family and friends have told me I’m disciplined and will accomplish whatever goal I set for myself; however, sometimes, I’m tenacious about the wrong things. I will continue going in a direction I know I probably shouldn’t, just because I’m stubborn. There’s an old saying “a hard head makes a soft…” You finish the rest.

I can have every clear sign and indication I should or shouldn’t do something, say something, buy something, and I will still do the opposite of the right action just because I can. I’ve already made up my mind about what it is I want to do and will do whatever it takes to accomplish that thing.

The sage in today’s Proverb tells me I don’t have to be stupidly stubborn. I can look at someone else’s bad situation or choice, and learn a lesson from it without ever having to go that same route. The sage learned a particular lesson about laziness. Sidenote: the sage doesn’t mean that if someone has poverty, that means they’re lazy. This proverb refers to a lifestyle of laziness which more than likely will lead to poverty.

I’ve passed many “fields” and “vineyards” over the years (other people’s lives or situations), and have had the opportunities to learn lessons. Do I always learn? No. Sometimes, I’ll block out whatever the other person’s outcome was and say, “Oh, but that won’t happen to ME…” Or I’ll rush by and miss the lesson because I’m bent on accomplishing whatever foolishness has settled in my heart.

But sometimes I will take a moment and let those fields and vineyards preach to me. I’ll listen and know I don’t have to go through unnecessary hardships or experience negative consequences.

Like most people, ups and downs characterize my life. The different trials I’ve faced made me strong and resilient. Some of those trials came without any cause of my own but some I definitely inflicted upon myself. For those trials I caused by my own foolery, I tell folks, “Learn from my mistakes! You don’t have to go through what I went through. You can learn a lesson from my life.” I made it through, but what if they don’t?

Whether it’s a lesson on laziness, relationships, money, parenting, or any other area of life, we can learn from others about paths to take and predict possible outcomes. Full-ride scholarships at the college of life abound. We just have to apply and learn.

What lessons can you learn from someone else’s “field” today?

EKG