Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8 NIV
In the early morning on a spring day, when the air has a little chill in it, but the sun is shining, I love to sit outside, bundled in warmth, with a hot cup of coffee and watch nature at work. Every time I do, I marvel at God’s Wisdom and how it functions in the “lower species” the insects and animals.
Chasing each other along the electric lines and phones high in the air, the squirrels put on an amazing balancing act; I have never seen one fall, while watching their antics.
Then I listen to the birds singing their songs and I believe they are songs of praise and everyone once in a while, I hear a woodpecker though I have yet to see it.
When the rabbits dare to leave their burrows (and a number of them are in my back yard), the hop through the yard, nibbling here and there, pausing occasionally to look at me and I just smile and talk to them.
But the ant is best observed in the summer months when they are scurrying about every where, gathering their food and marching in columns that would rival any military regime. I have watched them carry pieces of food so much larger than they are, but they do it as a team, knowing that working together they can accomplish much more than trying to do something on their own. Why don’t we see them in cooler months? They were innately programmed with God’s Wisdom to do as God intended them to do-for their survival–they gather in the warm months when food is available and store it so they don’t have to forage for food in the cold months. While conditions are good–food is available–they gather and store for future use.
How many of us can say that we have gathered what we need, while conditions are good, and stored what we need for future use? If we were as smart as the ants–we’d never know hunger, poverty, or hatred. We’d know how to work as a team and we wouldn’t wait for someone else to lord it over us–inciting us to do something.
Think about it! Most of us are annoyed with ants when they find their way into our homes and do what we can to get rid of them. But outside in the yards and crevices of the sidewalk we see the mounds of dirt they tunnel through when leaving or going back to their abodes. What tiny creatures they are and I can imagine their brains–are not nearly large enough to store the wisdom they have because God intended them to be so.
What did God intend for us? He intended for us to use the brains He gave us to seek Him and know Wisdom in order to survive the attacks of the enemy and the poverty most experience when they do not know how to avoid it. God has given us all a measure of faith, eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts for compassion, and hands to work, but do we have the wisdom of the ants?
Instead of looking for others to take care of our needs, we should learn from the ant–how to work together for the survival of all and to gather and store what’s needed while it’s available, for future use.
I’m waiting to see how long it will take for me to marvel at how human beings work together, towards the survival for all, gathering and storing what we need for the benefit of all.
maryhallrayford 