“Putting the Cart Before the Horse…”

I remember hearing this phrase in my youth and on through my adult life. It actually sounded somewhat comical to me…like something from some Western movie. I never truly internalized its meaning or real-life relevance.

“Cart before the horse” is an idiom expression or proverb used to suggest a conventional or culturally expected order or relationship. A cart is a vehicle which is ordinarily pulled by a horse; and to put the cart before the horse is an analogy for doing things in the wrong order. The figure of speech means doing things the wrong way round or with the wrong emphasis. The idiom is about confusing cause and effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cart_before_the_horse

This is something I found myself guilty of doing.

Cases In Point:

I wanted to be a New York Times Best-Selling Author…yet I hadn’t written a book.

I would purchase work-out outfits to go to the gym…and had not joined one.

I would purchase office supplies to start my own business…without having actually decided on a business name.

I bought books and supplies for my MBA program…before I actually enrolled.

I have had friends who have quit jobs…before having a new one secured.

Other examples would be:

Spending lottery winnings.. when you have not purchased a ticket.

Wanting a new car to drive…when you don’t have a driver’s license.

Wanting to be healed…without following the doctor’s orders.

Expecting a plentiful harvest…when you haven’t planted a seed.

Sometimes we do this spiritually. We believe, “If God blesses me, then I will obey Him.” Actually, it is “If I obey God, then I can expect His blessings.”

The Bible guides us:

James 2:26  (NKJV): For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

1 Corinthians 14:40 (NKJV):  Let all things be done decently and in order.

Genesis 1:1-31(NKJV):  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Psalm 127:1-5 (NKJV):  Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

John 14:6 (NKJV): Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

James 4:3 (NIV): When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Memorable Quotes:

“Don’t complain about results you are not getting from work you are not doing.”

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

“It first takes a dream to have one come true.”

“Before you act, listen; Before you react, think; Before you spend, earn; Before you criticize, wait; Before you pray, forgive; Before you quit, try.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy

Lesson to Learn: There is no way around “doing the work.” Putting the “cart before the horse” just leaves us with a frustrated, unproductive horse…