By Ann Farabee
For the Salisbury Post

There were four of them — lined up perfectly. They were big. Really big. Each carried an oval shaped seed that almost covered their entire bodies. Their load had to be far beyond the capacity they could safely bear.

They never stopped.

I felt exhausted just watching them work.

There are 10,000,000,000,000,000 of them in the world.

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise.”

Go. Consider. Be wise. A simple concept.

But that load — it seemed so heavy for them. I wanted to reach down, take the seed off the back of the one was struggling, and take it to his anthill for him.

*Go to the ant, you sluggard. This means sluggards should find some ants to observe. A sluggard may be lazy, lack drive, irresponsible, sluggish, have no vision, make excuses, or take the easy way out.

Just to be clear, one who may have been sitting on the porch, rocking in a rocking chair, drinking a glass of tea, and watching ants at work, would not be considered a sluggard.

• Consider its ways. To consider means to think carefully about. So, I began to think carefully about the ants I was watching.

• And be wise. Solomon — who was a wise man — wrote these words. It means if we think carefully about the ways of the ant, we will be wise — and not sluggards.

Proverbs 6:7-8 says, “She has no guide, no overseer, or ruler. She provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.”

I like this teaching strategy used by Solomon — for he says to consider the ways of the ant, and then goes on to tell what those ways are. I think he was specific because he knew those reading his words may be sluggish in their ant observation.

• It has no guide. The word “guide” can mean the one who shows the way or one who is the commander. There is no ant with that role. They all work together. If the load of one gets too heavy, they unite to assist.

• It has no overseer. An overseer is the taskmaster — one who supervises or checks to see if the others are working. Ants independently work, but are guided instinctively to add to the common good.

• It has no ruler. A ruler is one who has dominion over another. Ant colonies are thought of as a single organism, and the individual ants are limbs of it.

• Yet, it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

They find ways to meet their needs and make preparation for the future.

The ant? Really?

Inspirational for us?

Their abilities and actions are exemplary.

Such a tiny insect with a great lesson.

God’s ways never cease to amaze me.

Admit it. Ants are impressive.

How much more should we be?

God’s word speaks — every time.

If — we can be still long enough to hear it.

Try some porch sitting. It worked for me.

I will leave you with a few questions to ponder:

Why was the baby ant confused? His uncles were ants.

What is the biggest ant? The eleph-ant.

If ants are so busy, how do they find time to go to picnics?