Tag Archives: Ants

Pastoral thoughts

Remember the Ant

Female climbing mountain

A young woman named Brenda shared an amazing story (1). She was invited to go rock climbing. Although very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. She finally got to a ledge where she could catch her breath. As she was hanging there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda’s eye and knocked out her contact lens. Now she’s on a rock ledge with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. She looked as best she could, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it wasn’t there. She was desperate and started to become upset, so she prayed for help to the Lord to help her find it.

She resumed her climb, blurry eyes and all. When she got to the top a friend examined here eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no lens to be found. She sat down despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for some others to complete the climb. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of the Bible verse, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”

Finally they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?” That’s amazing enough.

But you know how the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock carrying the lens on its back.

micro photography of two black ants on white panel

Brenda’s father is a cartoonist so he drew a cartoon with an ant lugging that contact lens – underneath he put the words: “Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for you.”

The conclusion: “I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, ‘God, I don’t know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it’s awfully heavy. But if You want me to carry it, I will.” God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. ”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.””

Perhaps you feel you’ve been asked to carry quite a load lately. It’s been heavy. But just perhaps, if you continue to carry it in faith, others will soon be able to see life clearly once again. So, when your vision gets blurry, remember the ant!

And in the meantime, reach out to Jesus.:

Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone?
Does the road you travel, harbor dangers yet unknown?
Are you growin’ weary in the struggle of it all?
Jesus will help you with all his name you call.

Is the life you’re living filled with sorrow and despair?
Does the future press you with its worry and its scare?
Are you tired and jealous, have you almost your way?
Jesus will help you, just talk to him today

He’s always there hearing every prayer, faithful and true
Walking by our side, in his love we hide all the day through
When you get discouraged just remember what to do
Reach out to Jesus, he’s reaching out to you. (2)

(1) Elliott, Elisabeth. Keep a Quiet Heart. Vine Books, 1995. ISBN 0-892-83906-6 (p. 119).
Ms. Elliot attributed the story to a first-person account sent to her by Brenda Foltz of Princeton, Minnesota, who maintained she wrote it based upon an event that occurred during her first rock-climbing experience.
(2) Ralph Carmichael

 

Pastoral thoughts

The Red Army Attack

It was such a beautiful spring day. Warm temperature and bright sunshine. I was doing some of the outdoor spring stuff – mowing and trimming, and pulling weeds that had powered their way up though the mulch around the trees. I was weeding by our little maple tree when it happened. I felt something on my arm.

So I raised my arm and immediately saw a multitude of red ants on my sleeves and jeans – and simultaneously discovered they were also under my sleeves and jeans. And they were biting. I was literally under attack from this red army for invading their territory.

Believe me, I did a lot off brushing off along with arm and leg flailing. (Quite a sight I’m sure!) Once I was confident I had repelled them all I got some spray and doused the mulch. The next day they were dead and gone. But a week later I still have bodily evidence of the bites – the effect lingers for a while.

While reflecting upon this red army attack I was reminded that a similar attack is pictured in the Bible. Jesus warned “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves… Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold…” (Matthew 7:15 & 24:4-12)

The Apostle Paul experienced it and so warned his followers. As he was leaving Ephesus he said to the Elders “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31) He also wrote to warn Timothy. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron…For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (1 Timothy 4:1-2 & 2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Here’s my summary of these warnings: Those who dig into the soil of the Word, who spend time pulling up the weeds that have powered up into their lives, will be attacked. Like the army of red ants the army of those opposed to Jesus and His message attack and bite. I realized again that my task – the task of all Christians – is to consistently brush off the attackers and keep actively flailing the Word.
Perhaps Paul said it best in one of his letters to Timothy: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2) As the New Living Translation states it “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” Eugene Peterson in The Message hits puts it most forcefully: “Proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple.”

So even as I still itch I’m grateful to the red army for their attack. The reminder of my purpose and mission has been helpful and encouraging. Lord, help me persevere in digging and pulling up in enemy territory and grant me strength and courage to keep challenging, warning, and urging. And fill me with the wisdom to keep it simple.