‘Go to the ants, thou
sluggard; consider her ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or
ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summers and gathers its food at harvest.
How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your
sleep?’ (Proverbs 6:6-9).
The Ant is one of the smallest insect that exist and
as smallest as it is, it is the most hardworking. You want to learn great
wisdom and how to survive life challenges? Go to the ants. I read a story in
magazine about a lady who gave up on her job haunt having searched for job but
to no avail. She stop looking for job and decided to stay at home until an
offer come for her from the few places she has been interviewed. She stayed
home all day, cook for her siblings and pass the day either watching movies or
playing games on her phone. She was in the sitting room one day, playing a game
on her phone as usual when she suddenly remembered that she had to cook lunch
before her siblings comes back from school. She left her phone and hurried to
the kitchen. On getting there, she noticed a scene that caught her attention. She
saw an ant trying to lift up something 3times bigger that it is. She watched
with amazement. She noticed that the ant tried so many times to carry, and as
the food was falling, it was picking it up again. After some while, the ant
left the food since it could not carry it on its own, invited other ants, and
together they lifted the food and were taking it to their destination.
This lady
then decided to block their path with her small finger. On doing this, an ant
was injured and the food fell off their back. To this lady’s astonishment, the
ants never gave up. Some carried the wounded ants, while others lifted the food
again and decided to pass through another path. This was a big lesson to the
lady. She thought within herself ‘If these small insects can have this great
determination and a never giving up spirit, then it was foolish of her to have given
up on her job haunt’. The next day, she continued with her haunt with a
determination never to give up until she gets a job. She did this unrelenting
for a week and at the end of the week she was given a good job.
I really learn a lot from this story as well and I
discovered about seven (7) amazing qualities from the ants as I have had to
study them myself.
They are Hardworking
The Ants as tiny as they are can be seen as the most
hardworking. They gather their food at the right time and in the right season
so that they won’t be stranded during the rainy season. You will hardly see an
ant during the rainy season. This is so because they have gathered all they
needed during the dry season. You see them working so hard that it seem like
they don’t get tired.
They are organised/Work as a team
The ants are also one of the most organised. You will
always see them in a row. They don’t walk separately but together on a line
marching to their destination without losing focus. Walking in a row helps them
to be able to defend themselves against their enemy. They are most powerful and
deadly in that way. You dare not cross their path.
They have two stomachs
It’s really so amazing that as small as these
insects are, they carry two stomachs. But the most amazing thing about the
stomachs is that one is for themselves, while the second is for another. They store
food in their second stomach to be shared among themselves during the times
they cannot go out for food. This really shows that these tiny insects care for
each other.
They are effective communicators
If you have ever taken your time to study the ants,
then you will know what I’m talking about. They communicate effectively. When an
ant get to a food and discover that it couldn’t carry it alone, it goes quickly
to tell another. Then that one leaves and go tell another and before you notice
what is going on, you will see a lot of them within few seconds swarming around
the food. This shows that they are not selfish and self centered. They share
their loot together. They are always united.
They never give up
No matter how heavy or how difficult to carry the
food is, the ants never give up. No matter how many times an ant tries to lift
a food that keeps on falling, it never give up. Even if you try to block their
path, they will always look for or create another way. Giving up is never in
their dictionary. I have studied the ants more than I could count and I have
never seen them giving up on a food. They are so determined and nothing can
discourage them.
They have no guide
‘It has no commander, no overseer or ruler’
(Proverbs 6:7). And yet, they didn’t create an excuse because of that. They work
well as if they have a deadline to meet. They work as if they have somebody
that will scold them if they don’t.
They know when to work
“Yet it stores its provisions in summer and gather
its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:8). These tiny insects are wise enough to know
when they ought to gather their food so that they won’t starve during the times
when they can’t go out for food. They know the times and seasons and what they
ought to do during those seasons. No wonder they never exhaust their reserve.
They have other amazing qualities that are not mentioned
above. For example, they are a formidable army when they move together (Unity
is strength), they are focused and they are diligent. The lessons from these
tiny insects should be great challenges to us all. Follow these qualities;
apply them to your daily routine and be sure to be different from the rest.
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