The Incredible Ant

By David Bragg

    Forgive me for getting too personal, but I have a math problem for you. Take your weight and multiply it times fifty. Now imagine being able to lift that amount of weight ... with your mouth! According to some scholarly sources that is precisely what ants do every day (about.com). Especially industrious are the female worker ants. These workers labor diligently to provide food for their colony which can consist of millions of ants. Just let a single ant happen upon your carefully prepared picnic basket and that lucky ant will leave a scent trail for other ants in their colony to follow. Before you know it a whole army of ants will do their best to carry off the bounty prepared for your family's enjoyment.
    Worker ants can often be observed busily going about the thankless but necessary job of constant housekeeping, cleaning and expanding their colony, a business that usually involves them carrying burdens far heavier than themselves. This often requires feats of strength that would be equivalent to our being able to lift and walk off with an automobile.
    Besides their great lifting ability, ants are also extremely fast for their size. If we could move as fast, in proportion to the size and speed of the ant, we could be competitive with the fastest racehorse in the Kentucky Derby!
    Gifted with a divine helping of wisdom, King Solomon can be found carefully contemplating a colony of ants only to find in their industry an example worthy of our emulation (Prov. 6:6-11). He saw in these little creatures a drive to accomplish for the needs of today while wisely making preparations for tomorrow. Quite powerful lessons we can gain from such a tiny insect.

- David Bragg works with the Northwest Church of Christ in Greensboro, NC and is co-editor of BulletinGold. He may be contacted through the congregation's website.