Key
Verse
“Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways, and
be wise;” Proverbs 6:6 (WEB)
Lesson
King Solomon, the author of Proverbs is said to have
been the wisest person who ever lived. Why then, did he advise people to go
watch ants in order to become wise? In this verse he is specifically addressing
a sluggard, or a lazy person. We can all be lazy at times. So why did he advise
us to watch the ants? Well if you have ever watched ants at work then you might
understand.
An ant is a very tiny creature. It does not seem very
impressive on its own. As anyone who has seen an anthill knows, ants can
accomplish astounding feats. What is their secret? Hard work. Ants work
tirelessly. This is not to say ants never take a break. You might be surprised
to learn that many ants have periods of time in which they are idle, even
sunbathing.1 But when it is time to work, they are all business.
When ants wake up in the morning they stretch their legs. This helps prepare
them for the days work ahead.
They go about their work with not complaint or thought
for themselves. They are wholly committed to the community. Ants achieve
amazing things. They have been known to build nests with miles of passages.
Some nests require the movement of tons of earth—literally. One of the biggest
confirmed ant nests was 26 feet deep and covered 500 square feet of space.2
That’s the size of a small house!
When a job needs doing, many ants jump to help with
the task. As the old saying goes, “many hands make light work.” King Solomon knew
that if we watched what tiny, hard working ants could do we would be inspired
to be hard workers too. Working hard is much wiser than being lazy. It will help us not to become sluggards.
Questions
Have you ever been impressed by what ants or other
insects could do despite their size?
Is it ok for us to be lazy sometimes?
What are some ways we are lazy?
How is hard work wise?
Sources
1
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,819184,00.html
2 http://www.theincredibleant.com/incredible-ants/the-ant-city