The economy is on everyone’s minds these days. We talk about inflation. We talk about salary’s remaining stagnant. We complain about the high prices of groceries and other necessities. Though these things are true, it raises questions about us that we should ask. Why are we in this situation? What could we have done differently? How could we have prepared for it?

            Many want to blame the government. Others want to blame the rich or corporations or employers. But we also need to look within ourselves and our decisions. Far too often, we are not saving for a rainy day. I understand that not all of us make a lot of money. I also witness people spending every dime they make, sometimes on things they do not need.

            If we were to focus our spending only on what we absolutely need, such as housing, food, and clothing, we might find we have money we can save. Rather than buying more clothing when we have a dozen sweatshirts, eight pairs of jeans, a dozen dress shirts, six suits, a dozen dresses, two dozen t-shirts, a dozen or more pairs of shoes, maybe we can put some money in savings.

            Rather than buying prime rib, maybe we should buy a cheaper cut of meat. Rather than buying name brand canned goods, maybe we should buy the generic brand. It’s not that we cannot afford them today, but we may find we need the money we could have saved in the future. This is not to say inflation is not a problem, but we can prepare ourselves better for tough times in the future.

            King Solomon uses the example of the ant. We can learn from them. They stock up the harvest for the future winter. We all know, or should know, life is cyclic. We go through times of prosperousness and leaner times. It is during those times when we are prospering that we are to save for the lean times.

            Also, notice the ants work as a community. Everyone is working together for the good of all. They don’t need a leader to tell them what to do. Each one understands there is a greater cause, a reason for each of them to work for all. Imagine what our communities would be like if everyone was storing up for the future for the entire community. There would be no need to panic when lean times hit.

            We see many people in our community in need. We can all pitch in from not only our current earnings, but what we have saved in the past to meet the need. We all can start saving now for a future that is uncertain. We all can stop spending frivolously to prepare ourselves for a future need. May we all learn the lesson the ant is teaching us.

Proverbs 6:6-8: Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer and gathers its sustenance in harvest.