An Empty Stall

Today, Proverbs provides a profound lesson for us as mothers.

"Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; But much increase comes by the strength of an ox." ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬.

This verse basically means that we may have achieved our goal to clean the stall but at what cost? This verse means that we have gained no blessing in the achievement of our goals. The achievement is an empty one because the reason for the achievement has been lost.

Practically applied this means that I may have cleaned the house or accomplished my goals for the day but who did I have to trample on or lose to accomplish it? Solomon is indeed saying that the mess that comes from having "a full stall of oxen" should be overlooked. It means that one day, my life won't be so busy with the children and, on that day, the quiet cleanliness and order of life will mean they have all grown up and gone. I must remember not to put goals above what really matters. Solomon is saying that the blessing of increase comes from the oxen but the oxen of life also causes a mess. There is time enough to clean it but not at the cost of the oxen.

There are other applications also. In cleaning the stall were the oxen let loose or chased away? In accomplishing a task or goal do I put that task above people? This Proverb is about priorities. It states that human beings are very guilty of prioritizing the wrong things. The oxen are what is important. The oxen are what bring the blessings of life and, so, it is foolish to prioritize a clean stall over the maintaining of the oxen.

Just a few verses earlier in Proverbs 14:1 Solomon writes, "The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands." Proverbs‬ ‭14:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬. This verse is talking about the mother in the home. The Hebrew for the word "builds" means "gaining children." This can mean one child or many children. The amount of children is not important but rather the "building" of them. The latter part of the verse is referencing the shocking scene of a woman using her own hands, her own power and position in the home, to destroy it. This verse is stating that a wise woman will look at her children as a literal structure to be built up.

A little while later Solomon states that the home can be purified (this can be rules, tasks, chores, goals, career, money, religion, etc.) but at what cost? There are so many applications of this verse that can apply to time, goals, career, money, religion, a loveless religious experience, etc. that one hardly knows where to start so I'll simply say this:

In everything that we do with our children we are either building or destroying our house. To our children, the effect of our influence is very black and white. We as mothers must remember to take the time to make sure that in prioritizing our priorities we are not missing the highest priority of all. We may accomplish much in this life but if we are not building up our children first and foremost then we are wasting our time on this earth by cleaning an empty stall and missing the blessing of the oxen.

Today, I must pray for the desire and the energy to build my children up first by tuning into their needs (emotional and physical) and, second, accomplish the tasks that I deem important.

The last point I want to make regarding this verse is Solomon's clear vision to see to the Messiah. This verse has parallelism as all Hebrew usually does. The oxen in this verse also are a type of Christ. Our strength comes from Christ. We may leave off our bad habits, sweep our house clean, quit our addictions, have a good diet, keep the Ten Commandments, and do good but, if we are missing the love of Christ in our life, we have an empty stall. The love of Christ is evidenced by the fruits of the Spirit, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23.

If we have a "clean stall" by our own strength and by our own efforts to purify the life without the love of Christ toward others, we are prioritizing everything in the wrong order and we will end up unwisely pulling down our house with our hands.

To prioritize our lives with wisdom as mothers and Christian believers we must put Christ first in our lives. We must come daily to the Cross and admit our inability to order our family and home the right way. We must recognize our need for Jesus and ask for His strength and His victory in our lives. Only then will we have the strength of the ox, the wisdom to prioritize things correctly, and the words and actions to build our family and home with love.