Summary: Proverbs 14:4 reads, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox." Our goal is not a clean stall. Our goal is a huge harvest. The calling of the harvest trumps our neurotic desire for order.
Proverbs 14:4 reads, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but much increase comes by the strength of the ox." In the ancient agrarian world, animals brought a massive advantage. To have an animal meant you could accomplish so much more.
Today we refer to a car as having a certain amount of "horse power." In times past, an animal brought with it a certain amount of power to increase the harvest and get the job done. Here, the writer of Proverbs is referring to "ox power." The power and advantage brought through the strength of an ox. The writer of Proverbs says that it is really a tradeoff. On one hand you get a significant increase through the strength of an ox, yet with it you get, poop. Yes, good, ol' fashioned ox poop.
Our goal is not a clean stall. Our goal is a huge harvest. A natural side effect of a huge harvest are messes. A tidy stall in and of itself is a bad trade for a compromised harvest.
Let me shoot straight with you. The calling of the harvest trumps our neurotic desire for order.
Listen, if you want order more than you want the harvest, you may find yourself doing it alone. Doing it alone equals a field white for harvest with no one to get the job done. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. More workers means more messes. We as farmers must manage the messes and rise above the stall to see the harvest. Do you want a harvest more than you want order? Absolutely. Therefore, we had better embrace the reality of a poopy stall.