It had been a couple of weeks since my last visit to the cottage, and even then it was only a quick stop to meet with a contractor. We haven’t had much rain lately—not the kind of long, steady, grass-soaking rain that keeps everything green. So I expected the yard to look a little rough. It did. The grass was dry and patchier than usual. 

But it’s the middle of July, and summer heat, humidity, and scattered afternoon thunderstorms are simply part of the season. What I didn’t expect was the utter chaos of weeds.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the book of Proverbs. Our church is spending the summer studying it, and the most recent passage was Proverbs 6:6:

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

I’ll admit, I’m not much of a fan of ants, so this verse didn’t immediately resonate with me.

Our pastor gave an inspiring message from those few words, but one word stayed with me: sluggard. Depending on the translation, it appears as lazybones, slacker, or simply lazy one. I’d run across that word before, and that’s where Scripture and experience suddenly came together.

Consider Proverbs 24:30–34:

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

That phrase caught my attention: “I looked and received instruction.” What a wonderful description of a teachable spirit. Back in my Army days, my friends and I quoted verses 33 and 34 to one another all the time.

“Get up, you sluggard!”

We loved that part.

But we rarely paid attention to the verses that came before it—the neglected vineyard, the weeds, the broken stone wall.There are countless lessons packed into this proverb, but on this particular morning, standing in my gravel driveway and staring at weeds that seemed to have appeared overnight, only one thought came to mind:

A little sleep, a little slumber… and your yard and driveway will be overrun with weeds.

It doesn’t take long. Ignore something for a little while, and suddenly the vineyard is overgrown and the stone wall begins to crumble. And once it reaches that point, a few minutes of pulling weeds isn’t enough. I spent hours out there… or at least it felt like hours. If I’m being honest, it was probably closer to thirty minutes. But it was hot! Of course, Proverbs isn’t really teaching us how to grow vineyards or maintain our landscaping. It’s pointing to something much deeper.

Another proverb we often quoted says:

“Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.” (Proverbs 27:23)

Pay attention. Know what’s happening around you. If you’re a parent, know your children. If you’re a supervisor, know your people. If you’re a friend, stay connected. If you’re a follower of Christ, don’t neglect your own heart.

Weeds rarely appear overnight. They grow because small things are ignored for too long. The same is true in our relationships, our work, our spiritual lives, and yes—even our driveways.

A little attention today often prevents a lot of work tomorrow.