2/16/2006

ants marching

Raised in Mississippi, I am quite familiar with the minuscule creature we call the ant. As far as I am concerned, there are two kinds of ants: those whose bed you step into when you are little and your mom dips you in rubbing alcohol (fire ants) and those black ones that invest your house and your car (sugar ants). I think Texas has some sort of hybrid mutant that lives in the wild but does not bite (straight from XMEN). Today was a perfectly beautiful day, and I decided to go find a park. I found this church in the middle of a subdivision that had a cute little playground and swing set.. After sitting in the grass and reading for a while, I noticed the swings. Girls love to swing (hint to guys- take them swinging– trust me). So as I was swinging , I stop to watch my feet dangle and looked at dozens of XMEN ants crawling on the ground. Unlike Mississippi ants, there was no army line or orderly structure to the ants. It looked like a diaspora of the little creatures– scattering everywhere, each looking for something to pick up. Some were carrying small pieces of wood chips on the ground; some were looking. Many outliers seemed to have lost their way in the wilderness, but they kept trucking, searching, searching. Some, I noticed, had found two small pieces of candy on the ground. This struck me. Many XMEN ants were huddled around the candy. It struck me how easily these ants were led astray by something, although sweet, was ultimately not beneficial to the task at hand. How much are we like ants? We have been sent, many as outliers far from home, on a Great Commission to collect and bring our offering back to our master. However, often we are hindered by the temptation of things, although sweet-tasting, hinder our mission and divert us from the path and task set before us. Then I think, what things in my life are hindering me. I often think that good things can’t be bad for me because they are good. But what happens when good things divert us from God. My friend and I were discussing the topic the other night, and how Satan uses good things in our life to lead us astray as they consume us, replacing our first love. I leave you with John’s response to the church at Ephesus:
"I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and hey are not, for you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that have left your first love." Revelation 2:2-4

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Well said, my friend, well said.

Trina said...

That is very interesting. So often I will see someone doing something, like you sitting on a swing, and they are looking at the ground letting their mind wander, and I wonder what are they thinking about. Today you shared that with me. Thanks for your insight.