Wisdom Wednesday: Neglect Destroys

“I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.  Then I saw, and considered it well:  I looked upon it, and received instruction.  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.”  —Proverbs 24:30-34

Have you ever wished you’d kept and taken care of things from your past after realizing how valuable they would be now?  While taking a brief vacation in North Carolina recently, I watched a TV show with my mom called American Pickers, a reality show involving two guys who travel in search of antiques and collectibles to buy and sell.  The better the condition of the item, the more valuable.  Seeing old things of the past in mint condition and good working order is so cool.  I also noticed a lot of old abandoned or rundown places, including the property on which I grew up.  The yard and trailer park that once held beauty and life, now speaks of violence and decay.  A Latin proverb says, “He who neglects the little, loses the greater.”  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands or spending too much time on the computer or in a book, and before we know it, things are falling apart, including our bodies.

“Neglect dissolves many friendships.”  —Latin proverb

Not only do we destroy things and properties when we neglect them, but we might also destroy relationships through negligence.  Proverbs 18:9 says, “He also that is slack in his work is brother to him that is a destroyer.”  Relationships take work.  Love isn’t just a feeling.  Love is an action.  When we don’t take the time to care for each other and maintain relationships, we may one day find we have caused others to feel abandoned and broken like an old building and ourselves without a place to share our hearts.