Obstacle or Opportunity? Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22:13

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside;

I will be killed in the streets!”

There are many reasons people don't do the things they should.  They often make excuses to not do them.  The above proverb gives us an example of such an excuse.   It should be noted that in Biblical days, the days this proverb was composed, lions in the street were a real threat.   If the city gates were left open lions and other animals would wonder in and out.   So, to say that there is a lion outside is a very real and good reasons to not go into the streets to do work.   The sluggard sees the lion and sees only obstacles.    However, those who have wisdom and trust in God don't see a lion as a danger, they see the lion as dinner.   The lion in the street to the industrious believer sees not an obstacle but an opportunity.   There are many excuses we can use to not follow Christ and not do what God wants us to do.  They are often encompassed by fear and failure because they are not viewed through the eyes of faith.   By faith we can see what God "can" do.   We do see the lion as something to be feared but through faith it is something to be conquered.   There may be an obstacle in front of you but with God the obstacle is a miracle ready to happen.  Moses saw a rock while God saw a water facet.   Israel saw a giant while David saw a bigger bullseye.   Gideon saw the large possibility of a great army with large weapons, while God saw a stealth fighting force of the few in the broken jars and torches.   Do you see a lion outside?   Go get your lunch!