Lessons from the active, aggravating, awesome ant!

Got ants?

At least once every summer, our house is invaded with ants. We live in the country, so there are lots of insects in the yard, garden and elsewhere on our farm. Without providing advance warning, ants invade our kitchen in massive numbers. My husband and I battle the persistent little creatures and they retreat to the outdoors once again.

I have a rule–I try not to mess (as in exterminate) God’s creatures as long as they stay outdoors. But…if they come inside the house (i.e. ants, spiders, lizards, bugs, snakes, etc.) we go on the offensive.

SNAKE? Yes, many years ago (thankfully only once), a black snake found its way into our house. ICK! I found it in a window on a warm spring day enjoying a cool breeze. Mr. Snake was quickly returned to his outdoor environment. I don’t rescue ants, spiders, or bugs that visit inside the house–those I smush!

But, back to the aggravating ants. Sometimes I think of ants in the same category as mosquitoes. Why did God create such bugs? What in the world are they good for? As it turns out–ants can be helpful in the garden to pollinate certain vegetables. With the shortage of honeybees in our region, this little job performed by the ants is very beneficial.

However, I still expect those ants to abide by those boundaries I have set. STAY OUTSIDE!

Don’t we sometimes need to set boundaries for ourselves to prevent actions that separate us from God’s will? Of course, most of us are familiar with boundaries in regard to the “big” sins. We have the Ten Commandments which guide our behaviors. Our parents instilled in us the importance of being honest, respectful, hard working, and trustworthy. With God’s help, we try to behave with integrity (doing the right thing even when no one is watching) as consistently as possible.

What about the little things? Some folks will say there’s no differentiation between “big” sins and “little” sins. After all, the Bible tells us that sin is anything that separates us from God. But, in our hearts, we probably don’t view robbery as an equivalent sin to driving five miles over the speed limit.

So, what do I mean by setting boundaries in regard to little things? Well, first let me clarify that I don’t believe these things are little. But, we may become complacent about them and not realize they are sins.

For example, we’ve probably all been in a situation where a friend, colleague, or family member shared some unfavorable information about someone (gossip). We have the choice whether or not to share that information (spread the gossip) or keep the news confidential. We also have a choice of not listening to the information. We can set a boundary that lets others know that we do not want to hear information that may not be favorable to others.

I want to make clear here that just because something we hear about another individual might be true, it doesn’t need to be repeated if it’s hurtful. And, even listening to information that we don’t plan to repeat still encourages the gossiper to spread the rumor (or hurtful truth) to others.

We can set a boundary to help stop the spread of hurtful gossip.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32.

Another boundary we can establish is to not be pulled down by the negativity of others. We all know people that only see the glass half empty and have a pessimistic attitude about everything. These unhappy people need our prayers and our smile to brighten their day, but we don’t need to give up our joy. If we are unsuccessful in making their lives brighter by our optimism, we should not let them steal our joy in living. We can pray for them as we limit our time with them.

We can set a boundary to avoid negativity.

Instead, we can work to look on the bright side–see the glass half full! We can spread joy!

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23.

An important lesson we can learn from that hard working and persistent ant is PERSEVERANCE! Those little rascals never give up. I pray that we can persevere to spread joy and optimism each day.

What helps you have a positive attitude? What reminds you to spread joy? I hope you will take a moment to share.

Wishing you a blessed week, my friends and a HAPPY July 4th!