(箴言 14:4)
“家裡無牛，槽頭乾淨．土產加多，乃憑牛力。”
在實際的農耕生活中，槽頭是盛載食料給牛或驢子吃的地方，通常是在石頭上挖出一個凹洞而成。深思這幅圖畫：如果選擇不養牛，生活（槽頭）確實會非常整潔乾淨，因為沒有牛會把食料弄得周圍都是，也不會帶來污穢。然而，不養牛的代價就是失去耕種的力量，最終導致生命中沒有任何收成與產量。
從希伯來文的角度來看，牛這個詞與希伯來字母的第一個字母 Aleph 同字根，象徵著力量、開始與源頭。這其實是人生的寫照：如果為了追求絕對的秩序，不肯接受挑戰，或是容不下一絲混亂與變動，生命雖然看似乾淨整齊，但在原文的意思中，這種乾淨實際上是空虛的，沒有任何豐盛可言。
如果你想擁有豐盛的生命，就必須具備養牛的勇氣。養牛意味著必須面對挑戰、承擔餵養的責任，並且接受生命中可能出現的不整齊與混亂。這是為了獲得收成所必須作出的付出與代價。
(Proverbs 14:4)
“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.”
In the practical life of farming, the crib is the place used to hold feed for oxen or donkeys to eat, usually made by carving a hollow into stone. Contemplating this image: if one chooses not to keep oxen, life (the crib) will indeed be very tidy and clean, because there are no oxen to scatter feed everywhere or bring about filth. However, the price of not keeping oxen is the loss of the strength needed for farming, ultimately resulting in a life without any harvest or yield.
From the perspective of Hebrew, the word for ox share the same root as the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph, symbolizing strength, beginnings, and the source. This is actually a reflection of life: if, for the sake of pursuing absolute order, one refuses to accept challenges or cannot tolerate a hint of chaos or change, life may appear clean and orderly, but in the sense of the original text, such cleanliness is actually empty, with no abundance to speak of.
If you want to have an abundant life, you must possess the courage to keep oxen. Keeping oxen means one must face challenges, bear the responsibility of feeding, and accept the untidiness and chaos that may arise in life. This is the investment and the price that must be paid in order to obtain a harvest.
