REFLECTIONS

The Determined Ant

While other ants raced aimlessly about, I watched one struggle to carry a granule up a vertical wall. He would move only a short distance before the weight of his cargo would force him to tilt off his course several degrees. Each time he would stop, recompose himself, and redirect his course straight up the incline toward his destination. He had a job to do, a destination to reach, and a purpose that would not be denied.

Meanwhile his friends continued their frenzied pace hither and yon as if the world was on fire but with no direction to follow. Just going anywhere seemed to be the point of their activity yet anywhere is the direction to nowhere at all. And that’s the road most of the ants seemed to follow.

As I watched the fascinating scene before me, I stood in awe of the commitment of the determined ant as it slowly struggled to lift his heavy load up the wall until it reached the top. But he didn’t stop there. He wasn’t home yet. He had reached level ground, but his ultimate destination was yet to be located. There were still more obstacles to face, more problems to solve. There were many doors to choose from to find his destination. He explored a few of them before finding the right one, then he disappeared into its small opening. Mission fulfilled.

The episode with the ants I witnessed caused me to pause and reflect on the life we choose to lead. Much like the ants I had been watching, the hustle and bustle of everyday life leads us to race frenziedly about on our way to somewhere. And a busy life allows little time to reflect on where we are really trying to go with our lives. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” so just maybe reflection is what that one determined ant had paused to do.

Perhaps there is a lesson to take from the ants I watched. Busyness is no measure of success. The frenzied race we run in this life can take us anywhere, but anywhere is the direction to nowhere at all. God has given us a job to do, a destination to reach, and a purpose that should not be denied. The weight of the cargo we carry will often push us off the course we are on, so like the determined ant, we must stop, recompose, and redirect our path from time to time.

Life is filled with obstacles to face and many doors to choose from before we find the find the destination. But like the determined ant, we have a job to do, a destination to reach, and a purpose that should not be denied. And that’s the runner that gets the prize.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org

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