A message from a tiny ant....

Many years ago, after my sister and I had been called weird many times (by our friends and usually in a friendly way), we made a decision that when someone called us weird... we would just say thank you and take it as a compliment. Our reason-- it is easy to be the same, it is more difficult to be who God made you to be. Never has there been a better time (that I can think of) to form opinions based on what is truly in your heart and not based on those ants marching beside you:

I have been so busy lately that I feel like I am running a marathon most days. As life goes, and most of you probably feel the same way, I have intentions of doing this and that... I even make a to do list at the beginning of each week... and try to check off as many things on that list as possible. Some days I just stop for a few seconds and think... really? Is this really how it's going to always be? And then I try to remember what it's all for. And I take a few moments to look up and give thanks and remember that nothing is as important as one thing.

I can imagine if one were to be able to physically rise above this world and look down at our world as a whole.... we would all look like little ants. Ants always look busy running here and there but following the same path as the one before them.  Just think of those ant farms you can buy, the ones that are thin and glass so you can see all of the ants as they go about their daily routines. We, I am sure, look like those ants from up above.

To my eyes, looking down at this ant farm, I see busy little ants and wonder what they are in such a big hurry for. They spend their entire lives slaving to build their homes and increase their numbers and what is it all for?  Does even just one ant stop to look up at me looking down at them? Maybe... maybe there are a few ants in the farm that realize there is someone bigger and much more powerful watching. Maybe these few ants realize that this someone could easily wipe out the entire farm in seconds if that is what they choose to do.

Other ants think that this tiny ant farm is all there is .... they think whatever decisions they make are only seen by their eyes or the ones right around them. They think it is okay to live in a way that totally disregards the fact that there is a powerful someone watching every move they make and every form of communication with each other.

Looking down at these ants... maybe they start to make terrible decisions... because they are angry, because their fellow ants are not doing exactly what they want them to... so they turn on each other. These ants begin to commit horrible acts .... killing, stealing.... all the while I am watching these ants, my ants. The ants I put together in this lovely farm neither acknowledge or appreciate it or each other.

What would I do? The ants have rebelled against each other against and ignored the gifts and freedom that each of them were given... What would you do? If you had the power to end this ... if you saw from above the pain and that the majority had this disregard for life... what would you do?

There is no comparison between the ants and God and his children, really.... because we cannot grasp his love for us and patience with us with any analogy that might surface in our minds. What we would all probably say about this ant farm... this is sad, these ants are not worth keeping, they hurt each other and they think there are no consequences... they think they can keep on living in this place that I made for them while they are corrupting all that is around them and they are changing all that I meant for it to be.

But then, maybe we see that one ant that stops and looks up and says ... wait, thank you!... What can I do to create a change? This ant taps on the shoulder the others passing by and says: look up!!  There is someone watching us... someone that wants us to live in harmony and love... someone that gave us all that we have... let's tell that someone thank you.

Of course, this is a partly silly analogy of life... I try to find my own way to grasp the concept. All I know for sure is that there are some terrible, scary things going on. Why don't we stop and make the attempt to show others the one looking down on us?! Acknowledge that we are each accountable for the change we COULD make!!! ...Are we just too busy or do we think those terrible things that are happening around the world are not happening to us directly or not affecting us directly? Yes, they are.

So in this moment I am just a tiny ant... and I am tapping you on the sholder

We can create a change together ... Just look up with me!

Thank God! He loves us and he shows us he loves us everyday.... even when we are the ants that never look up.

Love,
Andrea