Proverbs 6 says: ‘Take a lesson from the ants…Learn from their ways and become wise! (v. 6 NLT). It seems strange to be asking us to take ants as one of our role-models, but when we take some time to think about them, there are several things they can show us. We’ll be looking at them over the next few days. Proverbs 6 goes on to say: ‘Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labour hard all summer, gathering food for the winter’ (v. 7 NLT). An ant colony has a queen, who is the centre of attention, and who the other ants work hard to keep alive, But she doesn’t rule the ants. She doesn’t give them instructions. The colony’s survival is made certain by ‘soldier’ ants, who are both leaders and servants. They start off by carrying out the tasks that need doing, while the younger ants imitate them and join in, learning what needs to be done. The younger ants don’t need to be supervised or told to get working. They have a built-in desire to work and be useful, and help their colony to survive. When God created Adam, He set him to work in the Garden of Eden. Adam wasn’t constantly watched or supervised – he just wanted to play his God-given part in his world. And just like the ants and Adam, God designed us to work and carry out our unique God-given role in our family, community, church, world… God doesn’t force us to take our part, but He’s placed different desires within each of us. At times, we may feel as insignificant as a tiny ant, but our part in God’s plan is important, and unique to us.
