Consider the Ant

February 19, 2010
Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! (Proverbs 6:6 NLT)

I can remember being in 2nd grade and playing with a small magnifying glass on the playground at recess. I was amazed at how focused sunlight could burn a hole in an oak leaf in just a few seconds.

I confess, I did not always utilize this solar power constructively. Many ants became targets of my concentrated light beams and died untimely deaths. If I knew then what I know now about ants, I would have had more respect, unless they are the fire ant variety and for them I have only the worst of intentions.

Ants really are marvels of nature. They were here before the dinosaurs and have survived everything the world has thrown at them. Some live in colonies of as few as eighteen ants and some colonies are in the tens of thousands. Some ants live in mounds and some never seem to settle down at all, moving constantly from place to place. As they travel and hunt for food, they may encounter streams that block their path. Locking thousands of their little ant bodies together, they will make bridges of themselves so that the rest of them can cross over the stream to continue their relentless assault.

Last week, I saw a youtube video of an excavated ant mound that would amaze the most brilliant engineer. Biologists poured concrete into the abandoned mound, waited for it to set, and then dug out the surrounding dirt. The concrete remains revealed tunnels fifteen feet below the surface and forty feet in width. It was obvious that the ants had communicated together on the design of the mound and had worked together as a unit to bring it to life. The tunnels were connected to caverns for waste, food storage and for new generations of ants in the making. The mound was designed with multiple vents that were placed so that the warm air rising from decomposing food and waste drew cool air in from the surface to keep the mound at an ideal temperature. And they did it all without computers!

People from Solomon to Aesop have encouraged people to study the ant and learn wisdom. I think that is great advice. They can teach us a lot about hard work, thrift and working together. But I would also advise you to run from any kid with a magnifying glass.

Blessings to you all,

Jerald