The Lord, during his mortal ministry, always used common things in the lives of the people to teach doctrine and lessons. I have likewise come to recognize the parable of the Argentine ant in my life. (Disclaimer: I still hate having ants in my kitchen, bathroom, dirty laundry, and especially my dinner.)
We moved into our house 7 years ago and I was unaware that the house we bought was infested with ants. Not so uncommon for the area of southern California that we live in, but previously I had lived in apartments or condos which were regularly sprayed for pests and had never had an issue. Well, after moving in we began seeing a couple of ants here and there and then everywhere. I suddenly realized why people would sign up for pest control the second someone knocked on their door. I felt like I was going insane, like I had ants crawling all over me. And the problem was, half the time I really did have an ant crawling on me. It forced me to change some things that I had never thought of before, like: put brown sugar in a sealed tupperware instead of the packaging it came in (there is always a pin sized hole that ants can get into). Put the honey bear in a ziploc bag because ants can crawl right up the threads where the lid screws on. Keep all cereal in sealed containers. Store peanut butter in the fridge even if it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Rinse plates immediately. Et cetera. And I also quickly threw the whole organic movement out the window and said give me what ever it takes to get rid of these guys.
I am completely sure that growing up I never once saw an ant in my house so this was quite an adjustment. I began feeling like the ants were controlling me. I couldn't manage my house the way I wanted, I had to follow the rules they dictated to me or I would suffer their wrath (presence) again. I couldn't leave the dishes for the morning because every time I do, I am greeted with armies of ants. One summer I couldn't even walk away in the middle of preparing dinner to attend to the children because by time I returned 5 minutes later they were in our dinner. Even more frustrating, were the nights I spent and still spend scouring the kitchen to make sure I have cleaned up every little shred of chicken, every dish, every spot or drip. Only to find in the morning that they still haven't gone away. They are still just marching around, scouting for some tiny morsel I may have missed.
To be clear, I don't appreciate the ants! And I still want them gone! But there are few things that I can see that the Lord might want me to learn from them:
And one last lesson I've learned from the ants. When you are shopping for a house and they mention that they have maintained pest control the entire time they have lived in the home. Don't assume that means that they were proactive, that this is a well maintained home, and that there won't be any pests. Assume that means that there is a problem and that you will also be required to pay for ongoing pest control to maintain some small sense of sanity.
We moved into our house 7 years ago and I was unaware that the house we bought was infested with ants. Not so uncommon for the area of southern California that we live in, but previously I had lived in apartments or condos which were regularly sprayed for pests and had never had an issue. Well, after moving in we began seeing a couple of ants here and there and then everywhere. I suddenly realized why people would sign up for pest control the second someone knocked on their door. I felt like I was going insane, like I had ants crawling all over me. And the problem was, half the time I really did have an ant crawling on me. It forced me to change some things that I had never thought of before, like: put brown sugar in a sealed tupperware instead of the packaging it came in (there is always a pin sized hole that ants can get into). Put the honey bear in a ziploc bag because ants can crawl right up the threads where the lid screws on. Keep all cereal in sealed containers. Store peanut butter in the fridge even if it doesn't need to be refrigerated. Rinse plates immediately. Et cetera. And I also quickly threw the whole organic movement out the window and said give me what ever it takes to get rid of these guys.
I am completely sure that growing up I never once saw an ant in my house so this was quite an adjustment. I began feeling like the ants were controlling me. I couldn't manage my house the way I wanted, I had to follow the rules they dictated to me or I would suffer their wrath (presence) again. I couldn't leave the dishes for the morning because every time I do, I am greeted with armies of ants. One summer I couldn't even walk away in the middle of preparing dinner to attend to the children because by time I returned 5 minutes later they were in our dinner. Even more frustrating, were the nights I spent and still spend scouring the kitchen to make sure I have cleaned up every little shred of chicken, every dish, every spot or drip. Only to find in the morning that they still haven't gone away. They are still just marching around, scouting for some tiny morsel I may have missed.
To be clear, I don't appreciate the ants! And I still want them gone! But there are few things that I can see that the Lord might want me to learn from them:
- Determination: The ants never give up and go away. They walk extreme distances to procure food and water. They never take no for an answer. Each time we spray one area, or caulk a crack they always find another way in. I continue to have trials in my life, as we all do, but do I continue on pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ when that trial is placed before me. The ants never forget their purpose, their goal. Even when something is suddenly placed in their way they immediately begin searching for a new route to obtain their goal. I heard earlier today in a speech I was listening to that if the Lord is going to make our weaknesses our strengths then we must expect that we will be tried in all of those areas of weakness. We must trust our Lord and Savior to know that he truly has our best interests at heart. And knows how to prepare us to meet him.
- Keep Trying: Frequently (understatement) I flick the little ants off of me and they go flying off and hit the floor. Compared to their size, that really is quite a distance. But they just seem to bounce, land, and keep right on going. They don't even pause to shake it off. Undeterred. Are we undeterred in our goals? in our commitment to our moral standards?
- Hum, I don't know what to title this one. But I've noticed a peculiar thing. Often I've seen an ant carrying another dead ant that I have killed. Now I'm not sure if he is carrying the ant back home because he wants to return him to the family or if they are just going to eat him too. But if we are talking parable here, we will go with the more honorable hypothesis of taking care of his own. Caring and working together as a family even in and beyond death. Do we seek out our family history? our kindred dead? and "carry them back" to our Father in Heaven by providing essential ordinances such as baptism and marriage.
- Consistency: Consistency is something that we'll just say is an area needing improvement for me. The ants are consistent in their search for food, returning to the colony and providing for their queens. Their consistency requires me to be consistent in the things that I need to do such as keeping a clean kitchen always, staying ahead of the dishes, remembering to put food away in sealed containers. Consistency also applies to our spiritual lives also. Am I consistent in studying the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consistent in praying regularly morning and night, and always in my heart. Consistently improving in patience and love with my children. Consistently progressing spiritually through my own study. If we are not moving forward we are moving behind--it is impossible to stand still.
- Working together for a common good: The ants are united in one purpose. Not one of them seeks after himself, to get his own gain, to make a stockpile of his own, or to leave and start a better colony all of his own. They work together, each one doing his part. All are essential, one is not less or more than the other. They are united, they are one.
So while I continue to clean my house and spray for ants. I do think that there are lessons to be learned in all things. And maybe in some of these lessons I needed to be "compelled" to learn them as I wasn't seeking change in these areas on my own. The Lord is the master teacher.
And one last lesson I've learned from the ants. When you are shopping for a house and they mention that they have maintained pest control the entire time they have lived in the home. Don't assume that means that they were proactive, that this is a well maintained home, and that there won't be any pests. Assume that means that there is a problem and that you will also be required to pay for ongoing pest control to maintain some small sense of sanity.
