Routine, but Vital | Wisdom of Ants

 For the last year or so, I’ve been deep diving into Proverbs. One verse a day. Which might sound like a quick 5-minute devotional, but each verse holds SO much wisdom. I find myself blessedly lost in the truths, promises, and the everlasting goodness of God.

With you, the Wolfe Stew community, we’ve been following the ant trail by picking up morsels of wisdom related to ants inspired by Proverbs 6:6-8:

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.

Morsels we’ve explored so far include:

1. Exploring why Solomon chose an ant
2. Interpreting an ant’s life
3. Accepting that we are all sluggards
4. Applying Solomon’s advice to our lives
5. Seeing communication as a responsibility

And now, the morsel we're currently digesting is:

The Daily Human Grind

We all feel the grind of routine and often wonder:

We feel stuck in a meaningless back and forth, single-file trek leading to who-knows-where.

Assigned Roles: Ants and Humans

But this routine is an ant’s life. Unquestioningly, they enact their seemingly insignificant, completely routine, mundanely repetitive, specifically assigned role because:

1. it is theirs to do, and
2. it is vital to the survival of the colony.

Just as what a single, solitary, seemingly meaningless ant does is vital, I’m here to tell you that:

You, my fellow ant, are living out an assigned role:

1. EVEN IF it isn’t what you imagined it would be,
2. EVEN IF it isn’t what your parents hoped it would be,
3. EVEN IF it isn’t what popular culture says it should be.

Your role is yours alone, assigned by God, to be performed to your fullest potential in a Colossians 3:23 (links to Bible Hub) kind of way.

And, like an ant, you do it because it is yours to do, EVEN WHEN its feels seemingly insignificant, completely routine, and mundanely repetitive. You do it because you believe in a God who:

• Sees all things,
• Knows all things, and
• Chose YOU for this thing.

And remember…

 

Read more about this idea at our post "Diving with David."

I’m here to encourage you to keep marching.

Consider the ant. It wakes up each morning never questioning if it should:

•  March to a pheromone trail,
• Endlessly transport food, or
• Perform the same task all day, every day.

I think a major difference between ants and humans is we overthink our actions. An ant knows its life is vital and knows its actions help others. We, on the other hand, lack this confidence. The lack of confidence leads us to complain and question our position in life.

Ant Mode Challenge

The ant mode challenge, then, is to turn off all the negative grumbling and arguing, in a Philippians 2:14 kind of way, accepting your routine responsibility, and getting it done. Don’t think; just do. You know you must [insert personal responsibility]; no one else will do it for you; so, stop thinking about it and just do it. ANT MODE: ON!

The next time you find yourself faced with that dreaded task or get caught thinking in a “my life is meaningless” sort of way, turn your “Ant Mode” to on. Push aside all the grumbling and arguing and keep marching. YOU, like the ant, must do what you do because:

1. it is your assigned role, and
2. it is vital.

Believe what you do has purpose, even if it feels insignificant in this moment, and choose to keep marching. You’re headed toward the King.

 If you're ready to march onward to the next stop in the ant series, "Protect My King," awaits you.

With Love and Prayers,

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