Articles

Consider the Ant

by Willetta

Ants are such interesting creatures. They certainly are busy, hardworking little creatures. If you've ever sat and watched them work, as I have, you know they can accomplish incredible things. Solomon suggests to his son that he take some lessons from these tiny folk.

Proverbs 6:6-11 "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."

Did you know that an ant can lift 20 times its own body weight? If a man could run as fast for his size as an ant can, he could run as fast as a racehorse. .It's brain has 250,000 brain cells. The human brain consists of 10,000 million brain cells so a colony of 40,000 ants has collectively the same size brain as a human. It has a life expectancy of 45-60 days.

Each ant has a specific job to do. The queen ant lays eggs, which the worker ants look after. At night they move the eggs and larvae deep into the next to protect them from the cold. During the daytime they move the eggs and larvae to the top of the nest so that they can be warmer. Ants have been known to burrow as much as 2 mile into the earth.

The worker ants look for food. When they find a good source for food, they leave a trail of scent so that the others ants in the colony can find the food.

Worker ants also care for the younger ants and defend the nest from unwanted visitors. Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the next and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump.

Most of us consider ants a pest, especially when they come into our kitchen. [Someone told me if you want to be free of them to put some sugar outside away from the house and they will have so much food they will not enter the house. I've not tried it yet but I think I will.]

I'm sure what Solomon had in mind for his son was this. "If you want to be successful you must work with all your might." Laziness is simply not acceptable behavior unless one wants to live in poverty.

There is a good lesson in this for parents as well. Get your children (especially teens) out of bed in the morning and teach them to work. It is good for them. It keeps them out of mischief and sets good work habits for the future. Of course that means you will need to set the example. Society doesn't owe us a living.

http://theseedsower.org/pMach/more.php?id=422_0_1_5_M15