Is Your Cart in Front of Your Horse?
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Proverbs 24:27 Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
Ambition is a powerful emotion and motivator. Ambition defined: An earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
Wanting to build and live in a very nice house is an ambition. It is something to dream about and tell others. We all have ambitions, but ambition without purpose and vision can only lead to arrogance. We use phrases like “putting the cart before the horse” or “major on majors” to express something similar to our Scripture text.
I remember asking God about some property I considered buying. It was as if God said to me, “What about it?” I wanted God to give me a “yea” or “nay” on buying it. He wanted me to do what Proverbs 24:27 said, “plan and prepare.” Ultimately, raw ambition is little more than a form of dreamy laziness. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan once used the phrase, “Irrational exuberance” to describe unrealistic investor attitudes.
Allow hope to sketch an outline of where you want to go, but spend your time planning, preparing, and exercising wisdom.

Reflection Question: What is something you feel ambitious about that needs better planning to make happen?
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