A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man (Proverbs 6:10-11).

The Proverbs have some great stuff about work ethic.  This particular verse, from chapter 6, is just one example of many.  But what I like about this particular verse is the imagery of Poverty as an armed bandit, with a ski mask and a pistol, looking for opportunities to pounce on unsuspecting victims.

Just about everybody views Poverty as a malevolent force -- forcing children to go about in shabby clothes, taking jobs away from respectible adults, oppressing entire nations with famine and corruption.  But I think we typically view it as something oppressive, tyranical, and unstoppable.  Perhaps it is, in certain settings.  But I think it's very interesting to see Proverbs 6:10-11 painting the picture of Porverty as a cowardly, insecure, opportunistic criminal.  It has to wait for the right moment before it can spring into action.  It has to look for the dark houses, with newspapers piled up on the stoop, where there aren't any dogs.

Basically, I read this and realize that there is something that we can do to keep Poverty at bay.  Maybe not in every circumstance; maybe not with absolute self-assurance.  But clearly, we are not helpless, pitiful pawns in the struggles against Poverty.  We can work hard.  We can avoid temptations to slack off.  And even when we find ourselves at a disadvantage -- because of economic downturns or changes in life circumstances -- we can still be scrappy, resourceful, and restless to find ways around the difficulties.

Yes, we need to be careful not to apply some kind of commutative law -- where laziness = poverty, and poverty = laziness.  But still, it's encouraging to realize that we're not victims.  We're not pawns.  Poverty is not indestructible.  And we don't have to be resigned to anything.  In fact, if we can avoid this sense of giving up or lying down for an afternoon siesta, we're apparently half-way there...