Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise" Proverbs 6:6
It doesn't take much to entertain me. Oh sure, I love a huge fireworks display as much as the next person but I don't always need excitement that is over the top. No, most of the time it is watching the clouds or looking at my flower garden that floats my boat.
The other day it was ants that caught my interest. I fed the cats a little extra and after they were through eating there were a few kernels of cat food left. I was enjoying the change of weather and especially the cool breeze so I sat there for a while.
With the cats gone the ants decided they wanted the leftovers. I suppose they are getting ready for winter because they were sure working hard. One ant took a small crumb and hurried for the grass. Another one took on a piece that was at least five times larger than him. He tried pushing and pulling with little progress. He stopped for a moment and then started pushing again until he got it to move slightly. This encouraged him and he tried again. Although it took several minutes to go only a couple of inches, he wasn't going to give up.
There was also a quartet who was trying to operate independently of each other. Surrounding the cat food they began pushing with all their might. As you might imagine, they didn't go anywhere. Mark came along about that time and asked what I was doing. I told him to look at the four ants that were pushing against each other. He told me he could fix that and stepped on a couple of the ants. The two remaining ants paused for a moment and started pushing again. Two ants were now missing, the casualty of trying to get their own way. The more I watched, the more fascinated I became. Suddenly it dawned on me that the Lord was trying to teach me something.
All right, now that I described the various ants, one may wonder how you can glean spiritual truth from them. Let's start with the ant who only took a small piece. I think of him like the man who was given one denarius and gave back the same coin to his master. He was reluctant to step out in faith and probably if he returned, all the food was gone.
The second ant took on a project that appeared too large to succeed. When he stopped pushing, he could choose a smaller piece or just crawl away (or whatever ants do.) When we are faced with a daunting task do we give up or do we work harder. Remember we can do all things ... (Philippians 4:13)
Finally we take another look at our quartet. When we work together with God's help we can accomplish much. All we need to do is take a look at how the Israelites followed Nehemiah in rebuilding the city walls. Paul talks about unity in Ephesians 4 to keep the "bond of peace."
Which ant do you relate to the way you act? If you are like me there are times you are all of the above. It is just another example of how God can use the smallest of creatures to teach us a huge lesson.
Debra Whittington is a longtime resident of Tucumcari. Contact her at: