You Can Learn A Lot From An Ant! …Obviously my weekend readers must think I’ve lost my mind (don’t worry, that happened a long time ago). Yes, this is about ants. I suspect most of us don’t care for ants for a variety of ways. In some areas, red ants bite and in some countries they are big enough to kill large animals and humans. Then we have those ants that get into the house and make a mess. Let’s face it, ants can be downright annoying!

I was reading my National Geographic and one of the stories was about ants. As much as we all would like them far away from us, here is what the “ant scientists” said about them: “Ants are the top predators. Ants scavenge on tiny organisms and prey on insects larger than them. This behavior helps create an ecological balance. Additionally, ants are the main foundation of the food pyramid. If ants went extinct, the food chain would collapse, and it would affect every organism.”  OK, these little guys are more than we realize, but read on…

Another fact: there are tens of thousands of ant species worldwide! They are the longest living insects on the earth, the hardest workers of any creature on earth and, they hold the record for the fastest movement in the animal kingdom. Also, the ant is one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size. A single ant can carry 50 times its own body weight while hanging upside down from a glass. I had no idea they were trapeze artists!

And now the last about them is crazy-amazing: ants can also work without supervision. On average, a single worker ant can take 250 naps each day. With each one lasting just over a minute. That equates to four hours and 48 minutes of sleep each day. It also means that 80% of their workforce is awake and active at any one time. Whew, I’m already tired thinking about this. So, if you ever have trivia about ants, well—you’re welcome!

OK, then. Dear Lord, we will try to be kinder to these annoying critters because ants show up in your Scriptures! Yep, in Proverbs 6:6-11 using the colorful Message translation, we read: “You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!”

OUCH!! We are outnumbered by one of the smallest creatures on earth! Of course, we are made differently than the ant, but what we can learn from them is their work and how it is so important to them and the earth. They are selfless; they look out for one another. How are we doing on caring for one another? Ants are also synchronous—meaning they work in tandem with others. They’re skillful, steady, strategic, and, ultimately, they’re successful because they get the job done. How are we about our jobs—whether at work, home, even in church, are we using our skills in the way God wants us to? Or do we climb over others to find more success for ourselves?

Let’s imagine if we, as the Body of Christ—Jesus’ kids, decided to be like these ants. Just imagine what would happen if we worked together and not against each other; and chose to support instead of competing or comparing or bashing that church down the road that doesn’t do what we think they should do. It’s a thought that we should take seriously, just like the ant that takes its life seriously in doing a good job.

Leave it to Solomon to give us advice from the ways of an ant! His wisdom however, is truly spot-on and we do well to take his advice to heart. Why? Because then we can be the people God has made us to be and do what God calls us to do. Listen, do you hear some scratching? Oh, that’s the ants shouting to us to get together and care for one another. If the ants can do it, so can we. AMEN.