“I told him many things that he would never have found out by himself; but he never repaid me in like kind. I cannot remember that he ever told me anything. And he got more and more like that; his face, as I remember it – I have not seen it for many a day – became like windows in a stone wall: windows with shutters inside.”
The Two Towers J.R.R. Tolkien
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
Proverbs 6:6-8
Have you ever seen a selfish ant? They seem to go about their work without being told with each ant receiving what it needs in return. In the Tolkien quote, Treebeard the Ent is speaking. Ents are known to be wise and generous for the most part, so he finds Saruman’s attitude of withholding disturbing. Treebeard shared what he knew, but Saruman did not return the kindness. Unlike the ants, we humans can fall prey to greed and selfishness if left to our own devices. What we can learn from the ants, and the Ents, is how to be wise.
Wise Words
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5
First off, if you want to be wise, then just ask. God is the one in charge of handing out wisdom, and He is more than willing to give a healthy dose to whoever asks. It also helps to read the Bible to find out how we are supposed to behave. There are books of the Bible just on gaining wisdom. One of them is Proverbs, which mentions ants on at least two occasions. The first one is in the opening quotes that I have been referring to this month, but the second one deals with wisdom in regard to work.
Timely Work
24 There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: 25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; 26 The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; 27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; 28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.
Proverbs 30:24-28
The ants instinctively know to gather food for the winter. They don’t wait until the last minute. They prepare in advance. If we want to be wise, we need to prepare for the work we have to do as well. We are called to be a light in the world. In order to do that, we have to prepare our hearts and minds through daily Bible reading and prayer. Some jobs require other preparations, like the pianist practices the music ahead of time, and the pastor works on his sermon. Whatever we are called to do we should study to show ourselves approved (2 Timothy 2:15), and do it with all our heart for the Lord and His glory (Colossians 3:23).
Daily Bread
7 Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Proverbs 30:7-9
Ants also live a life of moderation for the most part. The author of this proverb knows that riches or poverty can lead to bad attitudes. Riches make us forget who provides for us. Poverty makes us susceptible to temptation when we are worried about what we will eat. However, the Bible offers a place in the middle: daily bread. In the wilderness the Israelites were given manna each day, but it was just enough for that day. There was never too much or too little. When we live our lives depending on God to provide our daily bread, we are reminded to be aware of the source.
Be a Wise Ant
To be a wise ant is to know that God is the source of all things. If we look to Him daily and do what He has given us to do, then we will be happy…make that joyful. We will live the life of the 23rd Psalm. We will not want for what we need, we will have rest, and we will have the presence of The Good Shepherd. Who could ask for anything more?
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Linda, God gives us so many lessons from nature. While I don’t like ants at the picnic or in my yard, they do give us examples of diligent work.
Amen Ms. Linda. Great thoughts here ma’am. Do we endeavor to work for community or merely for ourselves. God’s blessings young lady.