August 11, 2026

Business by the Book

Proverbs 4:25-27 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

I was talking with an old farmer more than forty years ago and he was probably in his eighties then.  He was telling me how farming used to be.  “Back in the day we plowed behind a mule.”   From his description farming in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was no picnic.  It was work: hard, sweaty, dusty, and muscle-aching work.  I asked him how the farmers kept the rows of their crops so straight when they plowed their field. 

He told me that when he would turn the mule around to start a new row, he would pick out an object in the distance.  This object was unmovable like a fence post, a tree, a big rock, or some other fixed item.  He would then put that item between the mule’s ears and keep it there as he plowed the furrow.  “That would keep me straight,” he said. 

Our verse today is like looking through the mule’s ears.  Look straight, be careful not to stumble, turn not to the right or left, and stay on course.  These four simple steps will help anyone stay on the straight course to accomplish their goals.  Many people, especially young people, have no goal or objective in mind, they simply wander aimlessly seldom accomplishing much.  As the old farmer would say, “they jump from pillar to post.”

To succeed in life, keep your goal smack dab in the middle of the mule’s ears and walk on!  Chances are your path will take you straight to success.   

Dr. William Howe