Thursday, August 9, 2012

The ant trail

Every morning there are ants in my kitchen. My daughter's best friend said, "Duh, it's cool in here." So until I get some ant bait at Walmart, or they randomly decide my home isn't appealing, I carefully clean the kitchen every night and strategically consider where the food is. I absolutely do not want them to learn that I have food in the bread box past the sink, and I cannot have them discovering my cannisters. If anyone has a snack late at night, they must place their crumby dishes on the cabinet between the kitchen door and the sink. This will waylay the ants so they cannot further explore my house and find anything I care about. They can find the trash; they can peruse the dishwasher; they can invade the sink. They must not ever learn about the cereal boxes.

Have you watched ants? They do not have a visible leader but they are so full of purpose. In Proverbs, Solomon advised us to watch the ants to learn how to be productive, not lazy. But I admire ants because they always know what they're doing. There is some secret code laid down for them, and they follow it to the food source, return the food to home. Or perhaps they are an ant scout, bravely milling about for a new food supply. You will not see ants doing is playing video games, reading a novel, or pondering why their life is so short and empty.

I am not an ant (although I can sense trails for finding food). However, I have heard the Master call me to Him, and even when He doesn't make sense, I know He has a plan. When I swipe the ant trail with spray and a paper towel, or move that syrup bowl that my daughter left out into a bowl of water in the sink (bwahaha), the ants will sometimes seem confused. They mill in circles, and you can hear the little ant cries of, "What? But the trail said...but why is there no...??" They get back on track. Even in their confusion, they are so ant-like, so stalwart and admirable. May my faith in God lay an ant trail that gives purpose to my every action, even the confused ones.

3 comments:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

It’s good to hear that you had a reflection with those ants. They are the best representation of humanity, though they can be real pests. I think the best way to keep them from your container is to keep them away from direct heat as this tends to spread the smell of the food, which makes it easy for the ants to track them.

Anthony Sebastian

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tip, Anthony! They always seem to show up in the spring. I'm oddly thankful, since it gives me a chance to follow the advice in Proverbs.