As I was jogging around our nature trail this morning, an ant bed caught my eye. It was carefully constructed over a wooden log. I thought how enormous this log must appear to such a minuscule creature. The Holy Spirit reminded me of two Bible verses to look up:
- Proverbs 6:6-8 "6 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 Which having no captain, overseer or ruler, 8 Provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."
- Mark 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."
When faced with an obstacle, the natural tendency of the human mind is to focus on the problem rather than the solution. What fascinated me about this particular anthill was that it was constructed right on top of the log. The ants never stopped, but rather continued right along their industrious path.
During life's journey with your spouse, you will inevitably be confronted with various mountains between you and your destiny. Consider the ant and his "log home:"
- Ants do not worry- When faced with an unexpected log, ants do not pace around in circles, biting their nails (or more correctly, claws), and wait for the log to move. They do not analyze or philosophise, but simply keep moving.
- Ants walk straight- Ants follow other ants, but if they do not see another ant to follow, they follow a fresh trail. Over time, ants bump into each other and form tiny "straightenings" to help contribute to the eventual straight line. Think about divine appointments that God has placed in your path to help you get back on track.
- Ants achieve the impossible- Although the path of the ant continues to change, they still walk in a maze of straight lines. Ironically, by walking these straight lines, the miraculous arched construction of their home is formed. The arched shape of the ant mound reminds me of the curvature of a rainbow, the symbol for God's promises. Oftentimes, God's promises are hidden just above our mountain. He will lead us into the impossible in order to show us the miraculous.
- Ants work as a team- Ants work amazingly well together because where one is weak, the other is strong. Each ant is equipped with a different purpose. Some ants are better at scouting for food, whereas others are stationed to defend the colony and protect what was brought in. Unity is often achieved through diversity.
- Ants quickly adapt to change by course correction- Ants deposit a certain amount of pheromone while walking, and each ant prefers to follow a direction rich in pheromone, rather than a poorer one. When ants are faced with an unexpected obstacle, the ants cannot continue to follow the original pheromone trail, and are faced with the choice to either turn right or left. Initially, about half the ants will choose the right path, and the other half will choose the left path. It is interesting that the ants that happen to follow the shortest path around the obstacle will more rapidly reconstitute the interrupted pheromone trail compared to those that choose the longer path. Thus, the shorter path will collect a higher amount of pheromone in the time unit and will consequently cause a higher number of ants to choose the shorter path. Due to this high positive feedback process, soon all the ants will choose the shorter path. A long story made short, (too late, you say??) ants are not stubborn once shown a better way.
So instead of making a mountain out of a molehill, make an anthill over a mountain. :)
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment