Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6:6

I am well aware of the diligence of ants; I fight an almost daily battle with them, and fear I am losing. One day I decided to deal with them once and for all; I would drown them in their nests. I envisioned an ant-free house as I stood there with a hose, pouring water as far as I could under the house. Apparently, the ants DID abandon their homes. Fortunatly for them, other shelter existed. They poured into my house in great, black lines overwhelming whatever was in their path. In this time, if I did not learn to love the company of ants, I have learned respect. Ants are a hardy creature. Nearly every week, the landlord sprays all the trees for ants. The next day, they are back. I have not quite figured out what their destination is, straight up the trunk and out of sight, but something up there must be ant heaven. There is alot to be learned from these tiny creatures. They are always busy. You never see a group of ants just kicking it in little lawn chairs. They never stop moving. Somehow, it is ingrained within them that they must provide for themselves, or perish (A rather nice thought, actually). When I think of human society, I think of a group of people always trying to make things easier on themselves. I groan and complain about having to spend 2 hours doing laundry. Put in perspective, I don't have to take a cauldron outside before dawn, light a fire under it, and spend the entire day washing everything until my hands bleed. Technology has replaced so much of the work we once had to do. Grimy, dirty work that aged people prematurely. But like the ant, we can still be diligent in our work. We can honor the Lord by representing Him in the quality and quantity of the work we produce, and in our attention to our job. We can do things the RIGHT way instead of the easiest way. We can give an employer their money's worth by not sneaking out early, or taking two hour paid lunches. We can be the person who does not get angry and defensive when given constructive critiscm (sp?). We can be a person who does not have to be reminded over and over simply to do our job. Diligence. Diligence that honors the Lord and reflects Him. That should be what is reflected by the humble ant.