The Winter of our Lives
By Dr. Donald Balla, Professor of Accounting
June 29, 2018
"O the world owes me a living. Doodle doodle doodle doo doo. [hock ptui]"
From early childhood, I still remember the grasshopper’s song from Disney’s “The Grasshopper and the Ants.” You remember the story. The grasshopper belittles the ants for working so hard all summer. Of course, eventually winter hits. The grasshopper’s food is all gone, and the poor creature is starving.In the Disney version, the ants kindly invite the grasshopper down into their warm, well-stocked anthill and serve him nourishing soup. I suspect, in reality, the ants found a different use for the grasshopper. The Bible tells it this way: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Proverbs 6:6 NIV)
I find it interesting that God did not design this world to provide for life evenly throughout the year. Instead, he provides abundance in one period and expects His creatures to save up for the winter. The grasshopper cannot say in December, “I have faith God will provide for me today.” God already provided, but the grasshopper failed to collect it. Nor can the grasshopper say, “Hey, God, what’s with this winter business! Don’t you love us?” God has already warned us that the winter is coming.
The winter of our lives will come. It won’t be a result of sin or Satan. It’s just the way God made the world. It is comforting to know that He is giving us enough now to survive the winter, whether it be through financial or spiritual investments. So start saving 10 percent of your income; winter is coming. Give 10 percent away; nothing makes you feel richer. Pay down your debts. You can do it. There are people right now living on less than 70 percent of your take-home pay.
Winter will come to JBU some time, too. No fear. God is providing sufficient resources today to help JBU through that threatening season. Thank you, all of you who have given to JBU in the past, especially to our endowment fund, our anthill where we store vital resources. You basic econ alumni will remember I liked to sing this song:
Go to the ant.
Baump baumpa
baum pa baump buamp.
Go to the ant and be wise.
Though nobody makes him,
he works all summer,
stores all his goods below.
He’s warm and cozy all winter
while the cold winds blow.
Dr. Donald Balla is a professor of accounting at JBU
