Proverbs-Part 5

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! Proverbs 6:6

Our challenge from the book of Proverbs for Sunday, November 9 was to be diligent in our discipline as demonstrated in the example of the ant.

I did a search on “ant facts” and discovered some fascinating tidbits. Of course we all know that ants are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight. But did you know that ants sometimes herd or tend to other insect species – like shepherds with sheep? (I visualized that and it was very cute – a little cartoon ant with a shepherd’s crook, rounding up little groups of big-eyed cartoon aphids…anyway…)

Also, ants follow scent trails laid by scout ants to gather food.  I remember learning this firsthand as a very young child sitting on the front stoop of my home with my dad. We watched a trail of ants carrying pieces of food into a nearby anthill.

“Watch this,” my dad said. He crouched down toward the trail and vigorously rubbed his finger on the ground in front of one of the ants marching single file.  The ant stopped and began to wander back and forth frantically for about 30 seconds. The other ants stopped dead in their tracks as well. Finally, the first ant picked up the scent again and forged a new path for his followers. And they all went marching down…to the ground…to get out of the rain…BOOM…BOOM….BOOM! (Sorry. I couldn’t resist).

As we heard the message Sunday on how diligence is a remarkable trait obtained by doing unremarkable things, I remembered this scene from my childhood. The long trail of ants was unremarkable.  But what struck me as remarkable was how diligently that ant searched to get back onto the right path again. Even more remarkable than that was the way his momentary wanderings affected those who were traveling the path with him.

Marching along in the difficulty and sometimes mundaneness of our Christian walk can be hard. Sometimes it’s not super fun. And sometimes, we wander off the path. It feels unremarkable and lonely. We forget that there are people who love, support and look to us along the journey as well. 

My diligence has an effect on those around me. I hope I never forget that.  So does yours. If you’ve struggled with that, or wandered off the path, just know today that there’s a trail of believers in front of and behind you cheering you on to your destination.

So, remember that ant! Consider its ways and be wise!

Written by: Jaime Hlavin

Edited by: Jenelle Kelly