“Watch what ants do and learn from them." ~ Proverbs
6:6
Erik stared at the blank laptop
screen taunting him. T-minus one day and
he hadn’t even chosen a topic for his mid-term writing assignment.
Nobody works well on an empty stomach, so he took his time at
dinner. He flossed his teeth, trimmed
his beard, and checked his email (again).
Then he wrote . . . a letter to a friend he’d met in fifth grade at
summer camp.
Erik arranged his CD’s in alphabetical order, then won a
quick game of solitaire. Nothing seemed
to jump-start his creative energies, so he moved to the back porch with a blank
sheet of paper and freshly sharpened pencil.
Erik raced to the library – he had his subject! Hours later, he collapsed on his bed - just
in time to shut off the alarm. But what
he’d learned about ants revealed a wealth of meaning that can be applied to
everyday life.
Sure they’re amazing, able to carry loads up to 100 times
their own weight (the equivalent of carrying a city bus on your back). They’re the strongest creature on earth
relative to their size. But there’s much
more.
To start with, everybody in the ant world is important. Each ant specializes in a certain task within
the colony whether it be guarding the queen, foraging for food, or removing the
waste. Yet, ant colonies operate
seamlessly. It’s a great example of
individuality being essential to a community without usurping it.
Second, the ant colony has a flat structure; no rules, no
boss. There is a queen but only in that
she lays eggs and nurtures the colony. She
gives no commands. Can you imagine
existing in a society where no one has to run the show because the respect for
each other working towards a common goal is enough to make it work?
Ants never quit. If they're headed somewhere and you try to
stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, under, or around; always
looking for another way. They never quit
looking for a way to get where they’re supposed to go.
And like ourselves, ants are highly socialized creature that
depends on its place within the whole. We
need each other and this earth that we walk upon. So don’t tug on that bread crust alone. And don’t watch someone else do it either.
Let’s be like the ants and make generosity and selfless
devotion the new norm.
Lord, thank You for the gift of Your creation. We thank you for plants, for water, for soil and seeds, for rocks and air, for all animals and even the peskiest insects. Help us be good and wise caretakers of this beautiful earth. Amen.
