Consider the ants . . . and the grandchildren – What pondering God’s world will show you

When I consider ants, I’m usually thinking about how to poison them, not what I can learn from them. But Solomon, the writer of Proverbs 6:6, instructs, “Go to the ant . . . consider her ways and be wise.” 

Most of us know reading our Bibles will make us wise, but buried in this simple proverb about laziness and diligence lies another way to gain wisdom – by studying God’s creation. Maybe Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, learned it from his father, David, who penned this gem: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge” (Psa. 19:1-2). 

No doubt about it – God’s wisdom is all over his creation. We can learn a lot from studying it and prayerfully pondering what we see. And while God’s Word remains the single greatest source of wisdom, we can also find gold dust sprinkled upon the works of his hand. 

As I set out to apply this principle (and sharpen my observational skills), I asked the Lord to reveal himself and his truth to me through the world around me. Here’s one example of what I saw: 

I was hanging out with my grands and slicing apples for a snack. Caroline (3) sat beside me on the kitchen counter while Andrew, aka Bubby, (1) waited at my feet. I handed him an apple slice, made sure he was munching happily, then went back to slicing. 

Pfhhhtt. Splat. 

Something warm and wet hit my foot. 

“Andrew! What are you doing?” 

Pfhhhtt. Splat. 

 A slimy piece of apple skin sputtered from his mouth, and, this time, landed on the floor. He’d taken a bite, chewed it until the fleshy part disintegrated, and spit out the skin. 

“He doesn’t wike skin on his apples, Gigi,” Caroline remarked. 

Apparently not. 

I took the remaining apple wedge from him to trim the skin off. 

But Caroline was faster. 

By the time I’d wiped the apple goo from the floor and my foot and picked up Andrew's apple piece again, she’d nibbled all the skin off her apple wedge. 

“Here Andrew,” she said triumphantly, holding out the naked fruit, “no skin!” 

He scrutinized her gift for skin remnants, then popped it into his mouth, cheeks bulging like a well-fed chipmunk. 

By observing the exchange between these siblings (two of God’s most delightful creations), I learned three things about God: 

1. He created us to be unique, with different likes, dislikes, and preferences. A preference for skinless apples is just one example. We need to remember that different isn’t wrong, just different. How much better would our relationships be if we graciously allowed room for “different” without treating it as right or wrong? 

2. He created mankind in his image with a natural capacity to love, share, and serve. Caroline’s thoughtful act of service to her brother is a sweet example of this. 

3. He provides an endless source of patience and grace to help us deal with the often-amusing, sometimes-annoying quirks of our families and friends. Lord, make us as patient with others as you are with us. 

As the new year moves into its second week, I’d like to issue a challenge – consider the ants (or grandchildren, cats, dogs, trees, birds, sky, or anything else that catches your eye). Study it. Prayerfully ponder. Invite God to reveal himself to you through what you see. Then leave a comment below to share your observations. 

I can’t wait to hear how God shows himself to you. 

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