A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with someone who expressed her admiration for ants. She shared an experience in which ants diligently moved a lifeless Junebug toward their nest on a sunny afternoon. At first, onlookers would have seen the first ant trying to carry the Junebug alone. However, the ant quickly recognized the challenge and realized that collective action was necessary to transport the bug. Regardless of the size of the Junebug, the assembled group of ants grew in number to successfully transport the heavy insect.

By increasing their numbers, the ants managed to carry the Junebug back to the hive, even overcoming rough terrain. But they faced another challenge when they discovered that the Junebug’s size exceeded the hive’s opening. As spectators, we can watch these ants live out their existence as designed by nature. There’s a story about an Ethiopian scholar and hymn writer named Yared (501-576) who found inspiration in observing an ant that tried and failed to crawl up the bark of a tree five times, but succeeded on the sixth attempt.

The book of Proverbs in the Bible also mentions ants. It’s not surprising that readers are encouraged to emulate the characteristics of ants:

“Go to the ant, lazy!
Consider its ways and be wise.
It has no chief,
officer, or ruler.
In the summer, it prepares its food;
In the harvest, it gathers its sustenance.”
—W. Hall Harris III et al., The Lexham English Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), Proverbs 6:6–8.

While observing ants or tracking their movements may not relate directly to the content planned for my blog, I still intend to collect my thoughts on topics that interest me over time.