Learning from ants

One of the reasons why many people like the book of Proverbs is that a person can read through one or two Proverbs and hang on to it for the rest of the day - if not the week.

The book of Proverbs is filled with practical thoughts - thoughts that challenge us and encourage us.

Proverbs 6:6-8 challenges us to, "go to the ant, you sluggard, consider its ways and be wise!  It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest."

Learning spiritual principles from ants?  Yep.

Let's do that.

For years scientists were baffled by the mystery of floating fire ants.  When placed in water, an individual fire ant will flounder, struggle and then eventually sink.

But when the fire ants band together they form life rafts that help them survive the flash floods of the Brazilian rain forests.

As a unified raft, they can even travel for months before reaching dry land.

How do they do that?

I was reading today of an article in the Los Angeles Times which summarized a new research study that shared the following:

"After collecting a bunch of ants, scientists dropped them into containers of water.  The ants quickly spread out and formed themselves into rafts.  Each individual ant used its claws and the adhesive pads on their legs to grip onto each other.  One researcher said, "At first is just looks like a tangle of bodies and limbs everywhere, but the longer you look at the picture, the more you're able to distinguish between different body parts and see the connection."  Then the insects use air pockets that form around their bodies to keep themselves afloat."

The article concludes with this, "The research sheds light on how deeply social insects act together:  almost as if they are part of a super organism.  One scientist said, "The individuals acting together create this awareness of the environment that no individual ant has."

What is the "super organism" that we are a part of?  The body of Christ.

It is so important that we stay connected - connected beyond a Sunday morning "meet and greet".  It is so important that we participate in small groups, life groups, where together we can make it through life. 

Alone, we sink (the enemy can target us and pick us off); but clinging and growing together in Christ - we can ride out any storm.

I need you, you need me, we all need the church, and the church needs us.

Just a thought for a Thursday.