A carpenter of sorts

I have written about ants before, but this morning, I'd like to write about the carpenter ant. These are small creatures, but they have such skill at constructing their homes that they have been labeled as "carpenters" simply because of this skill.  Actually, these are some of the larger ants we find in the world, not at all like the wee ones which might invade our cupboards in search of a sugar trail.  These "little guys" are hard to miss!   Their call to fame is that of building their homes not in the dirt, but out of wood.  Most scientists will tell you they are referred to as "excavator" ants because of how much they do to "excavate" old fallen trees and such at the base of the forest floor.  In reality, these little guys can do as significant damage to your home as they can to the fallen tree.  They aren't all that particular about the wood they choose to "excavate"!  Scripture tells us to "learn by watching the ants" simply because their are some predominately "well-organized" teamwork and a pretty significant "volume" of work these little guys are able to accomplish.  If we consider for just a moment how this teamwork allows them to prosper and multiply, we might just have learned the first lesson God intended - we need each other!

You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. Ants don’t have leaders, but they store up food during harvest season. (Proverbs 6:6-8 CEV)

On this earth four things are small but very wise: Ants, who seem to be feeble, but store up food all summer long... (Proverbs 30:24-25 CEV)

These are rather large ants, sometimes measuring as big as 1/2 inch long.  Even the smaller ants in this colony are "large" compared to other types of ants.  Their size might just give them a special "talent" other ants don't possess, but it also makes them more "recognizable". It is hard to miss them and especially when there is a large colony of them.  God's people are kind of like that - even the "smallest" worker in the "colony" being hard to miss simply because of the evidence of Jesus in their lives (the real thing which gives us our prominence in life).

Two types of worker ants actually are "sterile" - they don't reproduce, but they serve a very specific role in the colony.  They are referred to as major and minor workers.  The major workers actually defend the nest and spend their time on the lookout for food they can return to the nest.  The minor workers are busy most of the time with the care of the young. They are the "nanny" ants, so to speak.  Their role is to nurture the life of the wee ones in the nest.  Another reason why God may have asked us to learn from the ants - we all have roles, none more significant than the other, but all specifically designed to maintain the "nest" and ensure "life" is brought forth for future generations.

They prefer moist wood - maybe because it easier to excavate.  This is probably why they like the fallen wood - it is already a little decaying and easier to sink their "teeth" into.  It is this higher "water content" of the wood which actually brings the ants into the wood.  This wood "home" provides the perfect shelter for the laying of their eggs.  As the colony grows in size, the wood structure is carved out more and more to make room for the expanse of the colony. As we stop for a moment to consider this characteristic of the carpenter ant, we might find God is nudging us to be sure we have a place of shelter for the young about to be hatched. The exact building is not the church - it is the place wherein the young may be born and nurtured to adulthood - becoming active participants in their "colony" of other believers.

As the young are hatched, the Queen actually feeds the young from her very own mouth. She has partially digested what she gives them - it is sweet and very nourishing to their wee bodies.  As they are born, the larvae of the ants lack legs - there is no way for them to forage for food on their own.  They need it prepared, delivered, and actually "spoon fed" to them. This is not unlike the newborn Christian - hungry for more and more of the sweetness of God's grace - they yearn for the "spoon feedings" of those who are appointed to care for them as they are nurtured to adulthood.

Something amazing I found out about these ants is their tendency to forage for their food in the night hours.  They actually "go on the hunt" at night, using both chemical trails and "night vision" to help them navigate their trails to and from the nest.  They use the reflected light of the moon to actually orient themselves to their environment.  God doesn't ask us to take light into the light.  He asks us to take light into the darkness.  He doesn't leave us out their on our own, but reflects the light of his amazing glory for us to see the trail to the exact source he designed for us to follow.  

The carpenter ant - consider him well.  He isn't alone in this world.  He is continually about the task of bringing new growth about.  His work is never done.  He is faithful to do what he is designed to do.  His place of growth is in the nest, not on his own.  His "family" is what assures he is well-protected, well-nourished, and well-established in his walk in life.  He finds resources in the night hours and is not afraid to be in the darkness, for he knows the potential of further growth as a result.  Consider the ants, my friends.  Just ponderin!

Considering the ants again!

As a small girl, I loved to spend time just watching things in nature - because they offered such great lessons.  Even as a child, I guess I was a little bit of a "deep thinker", spending lazy afternoons lulling about, studying geckos on the wall, watching birds build a nest, or taking in the activity at the anthill.  The gecko amazed me with its ability to scale the walls without even a slight "slip" in its grip.  The birds caught my attention for long period of time as they'd work those tiny beaks and claws around some piece of freshly cut grass and weave it into the form of their nest.  The ants, on the other hand, captured my attention because of their seeming "smallness" which never seemed to slow them down or cause them to abandon a project.  They hauled objects bigger than their own body size, with nothing more than those two little pinchers and a great deal of balance.  Their steady pace was never stopped despite the obstacles presented in their path (I actually tested that one by placing a few of those obstacles strategically in their path).  What they seemed to be doing "above ground" was not fully appreciated until I observed the first "ant farm" I saw in a classroom at my elementary school. Suddenly, all those tiny pieces of grass, sections of leaves and the like made sense.  They had used them to block off portions of their "stash" underground, securing it against water intrusion, or other predators.  The intricacies of their holes were amazingly thought out.  No wonder God tells us to consider the ants!

Go watch the ants, you lazy person.  Watch what they do and be wise. Ants have no commander, no leader or ruler, but they store up food in the summer and gather their supplies at harvest.  How long will you lie there, you lazy person?  When will you get up from sleeping?  You sleep a little; you take a nap. You fold your hands and lie down to rest.  So you will be as poor as if you had been robbed; you will have as little as if you had been held up.  (Proverbs 6:6-11 NCV)

No taskmaster directed the work of those ants.  They worked willingly.  It was their purpose in life to haul those leaves three and four times their body size. The others who pushed the dirt to the surface, clearing tunnel after tunnel were called to their work.  Still others sought out nourishing tidbits to be stored away against future times when food sources would not be as plentiful. They worked as a community - functioning at peak performance because they were fulfilling their calling.  There is much to be said about the attitude of heart by which we complete our calling in life - the fact the ants need no taskmaster to direct their work is one we should not consider lightly.  God asks for willing hearts - content to do what they were created to do - placing their talents at his full disposal.  It is not because we "have" to, but because we "want" to.  

The ants laid up a storehouse for themselves and for those who would be the future members of their colony.  Why?  They were preparing for times of leanness.  Times when plenty would seem evasive.  It goes without saying, but life is filled with both the good and the lean times.  What we do in the good often determines the provision we have for the lean.  I think God was asking for us to consider the ants because they teach us much about our own spiritual growth.  Our spiritual growth is dependent on our preparation.  One of the first things the ants have to do is prepare the soil of their colony - they have to remove the obstacles many times their size and weight.  The tasks of preparation cannot be overlooked - for they actually make the places of birth possible and create avenues for the filling of storehouses.  We'd do well to allow the preparation of the soil in our lives - for without it, paths which need to be cleared will remain blocked and storehouses which need to be built against future days of leanness will be empty of anything to keep us strong.

There was something else I observed while watching those ants "tinker about" on their little hills.  No matter what invaded their "space" was considered something to be dealt with.  In fact, they were constantly revising their hill, keeping it remarkably clear of these things which would happen into their paths.  Leaves would be carried away, opening again the pathways for each worker ant to come and go, bringing find after find back to the colony for others to enjoy.  They didn't go around those obstacles, but they cleared them out of the way.  I think we might also learn the importance of not just leaving an obstacle just because it is there.  Those obstacles would change the course of their journey, if left where they lay.  Many times, what we choose to ignore will change the course of our journey, as well.  We need to consider the obstacle as not only a hindrance, but a course-changer in our lives. Sometimes the subtle changes of course add extra fatigue in our journey!

Last, but definitely not least, the thing which I never really considered until I was a little older was the constant renewal process occurring deep within these colonies.  Thousands of ants would work to remove soil, modify tunnels, take away waste, and push what was no longer useful to the surface.  The constant "turning" of the soil brought a constant renewal to the colony. To the ants, this work was life-sustaining - to us, it can be life-giving.  We sometimes just "deal with" the stuff in our "tunnels" by shutting them off and making "collateral" tunnels.  We create "different" pathways because it becomes too hard to deal with what actually no longer belongs and needs desperately to be removed.  The problem with collateral tunnels - they don't deal with the "trash".  God asks us to consider the ants - not because they are noble little creatures - but because they don't bury their trash - they remove it entirely from their colony!  Maybe we'd do well to consider the "collateral" tunnels we have been building and realize the importance of not just "building around" the trash buried deep, but to actually get it out of the "tunnels" of our lives so we can have free, open passage for the good stuff God wants to fill us with!  Just sayin!

Supper conversation

The other night, I enjoyed the privilege of picking up my two grandsons and spending the evening with them.  The night began with choosing which "fast food" chain we'd pick up our dinner from and then we would take it home to meet up with GG (Great Grandma).  As the boys decided on the "meal of the night", we began to talk about the "small stuff" like school, what cars they liked best, the mosquito bites on their legs, and the like.  At dinner, something else began to happen.  As we sat around the kitchen table, each of us enjoying our salad, hamburger, or chicken nuggets, the youngest was proudly proclaiming how he and I had built some flowerbeds a couple weeks back.  His older brother was at school when we did it, so it came as a surprise to see the changes in the yard.  I watched as the younger boy explained how he carried the plants, held the wood, found potato bugs, and helped dig the holes for the trees.  His chest popped out in pleasure as he exclaimed his part in it all!  Truly, it made my heart swell a little, too.  It wasn't long before he noticed some of the plants were dying.  This is where our conversation took a turn.  We began to talk about ants.  Yep, little creatures of the earth, hidden from view most of the time, but with hidden power beyond our knowing.

Go to the ant, you lazy person; observe its ways and grow wise.  The ant has no commander, officer, or ruler.  Even so, it gets its food in summer; gathers its provisions at harvest.  (Proverbs 6:6-8 CEB)

As you can imagine, two little boys just lit up to discuss such a "neat" thing!  After all, this was not "girly" stuff, it was "guy" stuff we were discussing here! The oldest began to explain a show he had seen on some nature channel about the "vastness" of the ant's homes.  In fact, he said the scientists poured some type of "stuff" into the hole and as they did, it went into all the nooks and crannies of the "nest".  In the ends, it stretched for something like a mile - at least that is what he remembered.  We began to discuss how we often see little holes here and there throughout the yard, but how these may not be a "different" ant family, but just a new "door" to their homes.  In fact, they may have lots of "doors", but only one huge, totally intricate set of tunnels and "rooms" where they store up stuff, have their "ant nurseries", and prepare for the next "expansion" project.

I told them what I uncovered when I tried to change the sprinkler riser and head for the bed.  In only moving the head slightly, I was immediately met with hundreds and hundreds of little black ants.  They just came out of nowhere and began to spread out over the surface of the old sprinkler riser and the ground surrounding it.  In just a matter of two to three minutes, the ground was a thick covering of agitated little ants!  This would not do!  I could not even get close to the sprinkler until I took care of the angry little creatures.  So, I spent about thirty minutes "unearthing" the ants.  Interestingly, I found a huge "nursery" of eggs.  I do mean "huge" here, folks. Thousands of little eggs, filled with the next generation of little workers for this nest.  Now, for those of you who may feel we should not kill God's little creatures, I am sorry, but in the past six months, these little creatures had almost killed my huge elm tree, were eating every plant I placed in the bed and had provided more than one or two "flesh wounds" to both me and the boys while out in the yard.  They had to be dealt with!

What we found ourselves discovering in our discussion was how "hidden" things do great damage in our lives.  These little ants were providing an object lesson without even knowing it!  I don't know if the boys will connect it right now with something "spiritual", but the foundation is laid!  We explored how these little creatures "dig in", establish a good location for "reproducing", like my nice flowerbed.  They don't have to work hard to create their "foothold" there because the soil is lightly packed, and it is easy to move.  In the end, it becomes a huge "nursery" of the next generation of "destroying creatures"!  Now, let me connect the dots for you on this one - what we may not notice taking up a place in our lives may very well be laying the foundation for the "destructiveness" of the "next generation" of sin in our lives!

As we considered all the various "anthills" I have in the back and front yards, the boys began to understand how it only took one "home" to provide them access to the next "home".  In turn, the entire land upon which we walked could very well be filled with all kinds of "access routes" to move from one home to the other.  Hundreds of feet between the two, but an easy journey for these little creatures.  Their "industry" is evident in the small "doors" they create here and there.  The same is true in our lives.  The "industry" of sin's hold becomes evident a little here, and then a little there, until one day, sin's "pathways" are so very well-established in our lives.

The boys are as allergic to these creatures bites as I am.  We swell up with huge welts which last for weeks.  Since we all enjoy being out in the yard in this nice weather, it became very apparent to me what I had to do - they had to be "baited".  In other words, I needed to lay the bait near their nest openings so they'd take it in and eventually be destroyed by it.  You know, if we were to actually look for the little "openings" in our lives which point to an access point for sin's entrance, we might just realize we need to lay a little "bait" at those "doors" in order to see sin destroyed!  Sin baits us, doesn't it? Why not give it a little of its own medicine?  Bait it with what will certainly destroy it - God's Word!  Taken in, the Word of God will destroy the "nest" sin has created.  Not just in this little "tunnel" of your life, but ultimately at each access point!

Just a few lessons from the ants this morning!  Hope you enjoy!  Gotta love those boys for giving me some content for my blog!  

Sneaking past palace guards

^24-28 There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are—
      ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter;
      marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
      locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
      lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

(Proverbs 30:24-28 The Message)

We have looked at the ant before, but I think there might be some opportunity to explore these other creatures to see what lessons we might glean from them. Scripture calls them the wisest of the wise - I guess that is in animal life - so, we will likely be able to see some characteristics that we might want to emulate in our own.

The ant, of course, is cited as wise because of its careful planning and diligence to task.  They are busy doing what it is they were designed to do - they "clean up" the surface of the land and do so in a very specific, well-ordered manner.  Their life is one of order.  We can all benefit from a little "order" in our lives - it goes a long way in combating the chaos around us!

The marmot is a new one for me, so here is what I found out.  Marmots are little "squirrels" that we generally refer to as ground squirrels.  They differ from the prairie dogs in that they are mountain dwellers.  That was interesting to me as the mountainous areas in which they reside are rich in food sources - by dwelling in the right place, they are assured of ample food supply.  The same is true for us - by dwelling in the presence of Christ, we will never be without the spiritual nourishment we so desperately need.  The rocks provide shelter from their natural predators, but those same rocks can be hard ground in which to create burrows!  Although they face the "rocks" of resistance, they are able to move them aside and create very safe dwellings for themselves.  Small creatures in stature are able to move "mountains"!  What does that say for those of us in Christ?

Locusts are interesting insects.  They are really grasshoppers that are in the "swarming" phase - able to take on huge "projects" that seemingly are astronomical in comparison to their size!  Locusts can absolutely wipe out a crop in just a short period of time when they are in the "swarming" phase.  They have an ability to travel short distances in swarms.  Do you know why they "swarm"?  It is because they sense and overcrowding of other locusts - so they move on to where they will find more nourishment.  As one locust touches the hind legs of another, a hormone known as serotonin is released.  The more the legs get "brushed", the more the hormone is released.  That stimulates the swarming response.  Hmmmm....I wonder if that is like it is when one Christian catches hold of what the Spirit is saying to the church and then "touches" another with that message, and another, and another?  Could it be that God is asking us to be "stimulating" each other to growth?  In the swarming phase, the locusts are growing tremendously and they are multiplying without measure!

Lizards are near and dear to my heart here in the Valley of the Sun.  I love to watch them do their "push ups" on the block wall late in the day when the sun is beating down on them.  They are basking in the heat of the day and enjoying each and every ray.  They are "stealth" creatures.  You can see them one moment, and then just like that, they are gone!  They also have a natural camouflage to their environment - kind of like their own personal suit of armor.  Some are brownish, others grey, and still others are almost translucent.  That acts as a natural defense for them.  Yet, the most awesome defense is being able to "let go" of their tail when a predator is trying to attach them.  That tail "twitches" like mad, totally detached from their body, drawing the attention of their attacker just long enough to get away into the safety of shelter.  So, not only have they learned how to move into areas where they might be more vulnerable, but they have a defense against being "totally" vulnerable - they are not without a way of escape!

Isn't that what God provides for his children?  A way of escape!  We are never without that way of escape as long as we are wearing the "armor" God!  That is why Paul emphasized the importance of not "leaving off" any part of our armor each and every day!  It is actually our protection in a world that looks for our vulnerability!

So, just a few lessons from the critters this morning!  Hope you might find something in these thoughts that you can "chew on" today!