Life's Lessons From The Ant Pt. 4

"Go to the ant, you lazy one! See her ways and be wise, which, having no commander, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, gathers her food in her harvest" (Prov. 6:6-8)

Most ants have compound eyes. Compound eyes are made up of hundreds of fixed eyelets, each with its non-focusing lens and light receiver. Because of this, the ant see a mosaic rather than a single image. At close range, the mosaic resembles the true image. At greater distances, the mosaic becomes a confused pattern of light which the ant's mind cannot sort out. Beyond even an inch, the ant is virtually blind, except for an awareness of light and dark.

How then does the ant find it's way in a jungle of giants? While almost useless for vision, the ant's eyes are polarized like sunglasses. This enable the ant to determine the position of the sun, even on cloudy days. Ants use the sun's position as a reference for navigation, just as sailors use the stars. By walking in a direction which keeps the sun at the same angle, the ant is able to walk in a straight line through any maze of grass and sticks. If an ant is covered for a period of time by a box and then released, it will deviate from it's original course by the exact angle that the sun moved during the ant's entrapment.

If we were to learn from the ants, what would be today's lesson? Simply, we need keep our eyes focused on the SON (of God) in order to navigate in this very confusing and darken world. Sometimes we are boxed in with our own personal agenda or problems that we become dull to the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. Like the Pharisees in Jesus' days, they just simply couldn't tell right from wrong! They just couldn't see. They were "blind". Today, people are so boxed in with bad news with regard to world economics, or issues with gay rights, that we deviate from God's Word and we lose sight of God in our lives and we end up worrying about things we ought not to, and we comprise on principles all because we've been in the box too long. Perhaps it's time once again to sing that old but needful song ...

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim. In the light of His glory and grace."

Next lesson ... in comparison to the things of the earth, the ant is indeed little. Fact, the largest of the queen is not over 2 inches in length. The Pharaoh ant is smaller that the dot of a letter "i" and weigh perhaps less than a thousandth of an ounce. The average ant is so tiny that its life can be ended with the slightest pressure of a human's toe. BUT ... that doesn't mean the ant is not significant! On the contrary, did you know there are more than 8,000 species of ants that has been identified? That's more species than any other insect or animal. And if you were to count the total number of ants on the face of this earth, it's staggering! No other creature the size of the ant exhibits so much energy and organization.

So if you think you are small and insignificant and unimportant, you need to learn from the ant. Although by human standards the ant is very small and weak, compared to its own weight the ant is much, much more stronger than man. Ants can carry weights many time more than their own weight. For example, the Leaf Cutting Ant. They can carry up to 50 times of it's own weight over a hundred yards. That's equivalent to a 200-pound man carrying 5 tons on his back for a distance of 17 miles(27.4km)! Small and insignificant? I don't think so. But the real strength of the ant lies not in its individual performance but in its cooperative strength. In a single summer, a large colony may evacuate 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of earth to make it's nest and carry 5,000 pounds of material back into the nest for food!

That's like the church isn't it? Though we are all individual members of the Body with different giftings, yet we are ONE in body of which Jesus is the Head. When we dwell together in unity and work towards a common goal, we will be surprised at what we can accomplish together for God's kingdom and how, in the process, our lives can be so enriched. So don't go around thinking, "I am small and insignificant". Don't hide behind your failures and weaknesses. We all have our place in the Body of Christ. We all have our role in life. If God so notices the ant, trust me, He notices you too. You are much, much more significant than the smallest of ant.

Don't underestimate the power of ONE, of UNITY. God's intent for us individual is to be collectively ONE. In God's perception, there is no Superman but you can always find the Fantastic Four (read my article on Fantastic Four). God did not make this planet and then only you alone. We are all connected.

Take some time today. Take a look at the ant. Observe it. Study it. You may learn a thing or two from it. God bless.