forced to learn.
The ants aren’t going away. As much as I’ve hoped, as much as I’ve complained, as much as I’ve spray them down, they just don’t go away.
So instead of fighting against the ants today, I decided that maybe I would just observe and see if these little creatures had anything to teach me. Since coming to Nigeria, my life has slowed down incredibly. Stopping to “smell the roses” as they say has become a common part of my day.
My observations started with their hard work, persistence, and team work. Ants don’t mess around! I also stared to marvel at their order. They follow each other single file, uninterrupted...unless I am interrupting them anyway. Good lessons to learn. I have been working on my self-discipline the last few weeks. My mom has been encouraging her students at Dordt College to start a devotional routine. (You can read more about her words of wisdom on her caring bridge site www.caringbridge.org/visit/cellabosma where she has been writing about her journey with breast cancer.) My BSF leader has also been encouraging us to discipline ourselves. This doesn’t come easy for me. At all. But it’s a time in my life that I can really embrace these challenges. I took these challenges upon myself...and have been surprised by the effects my morning devotions and running have had on my mood and energy level. Those persistent buggers, ants, were just another reminder to stay the course.
Along with the encouraging lessons from my little ant friends, I also was alerted to tough realities. The photo above shows all the ants that followed the temptation of sweetness which led to their death trap. I can’t even tell you how many hundreds of ants were mixed in with the last of our honey! I can’t say I’m sorry they drowned in their sweet temptations but it did prompt me to think about my own temptations. As I saw the hundreds of ants that had become glued in the honey, I thought about myself and the many foolish times I have done the same thing. Followed my desires of pleasure into a dead end trap.
photo: And those were only 1/3 of the army that drowned in our tightly sealed honey bottle. We didn’t end up offering the honey to Sheila to use in her tea this evening.
wednesday. november 7. 2007.