I have a really random question for you. Just go with me on this one.
Have you ever watched ants? I mean, really watched ants. They never stop moving. They follow the ant in front of them and move, one by one, in a relatively straight line. They work together to get the task completed.
It’s beautiful actually.
While working towards this common goal, the ants do one thing in particular that astounds me. As they are walking towards the home, they pass ants walking towards the food. Like a highway that goes both north and south, the ants pass one another in a constructed fashion. As they pass one another, the most beautiful thing happens; they help one another.
I remember sitting at a bench at chick-fil-a back at home and noticing this for the first time. I was reminded of it again here in Cambodia. We have a big trash can in our kitchen, and when we cook dinner, we throw the stems of the tomatoes in it. The next morning I saw a long line of ants carrying morsels of food from the trash can to a hole in the wall. They work together so perfectly and care for each other in such a complete sense that they spend all day gathering food for the whole community. Ok, I don’t know that they actually have the capability to “care” for one another, but you get what I’m saying.
They set aside self and what would satisfy them in that moment to work together for something bigger than themselves.
It’s a beautiful picture of what the church should look like. I know, that might be taking it a step too religious, but ants really challenge me. I remember when I first saw their interactions how I questioned my own.
I was at my Christian university where I knew only a handful of people even though I had been there for two semesters already. I would pass my fellow brothers and sisters on the way to class and not so much as even give them a smile. When I watched the ants, I just thought about how each one took time out of their task to check on the oncoming traffic. When I compare that to a busy street in New York City, I am embarrassed for my human race.
I want to learn from ants, but more than that, I want the church to learn from them. I want to follow after Jesus with all that I am, and along the way, I want to help those alongside me. I also want to help those going in the other direction. So, even though the ants go marching one by one, they care more about the other ones than the march, and that’s beautiful.
