The Tribune

By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

THE ANT keeps the winter in mind, so it collects all the food it can during the summer.

Ants are small and not very strong, yet they demonstrate faithfulness and persistence in the execution of their duties. A part from that, ants share and cooperate with each other and work to benefit the colony. They also fight the enemy for the general good of the group.

Christians are encouraged to play close attention to these characteristics of the small social insect.

Proverbs 6:6-8 states: "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise."

Ants have no commanders, no overseers or rulers, and yet they store their provisions in summer and gather food at harvest.

"I am not familiar with the nature of ants but if more people conducted their lives like ants, things would be much easier. They are small insects and they have enough sense to prepare in advanced. But some people out there are looking for handouts and looking for other to people take care of them," said Anwar Bastian, a Baptist adherent.

Mr Bastian said if ants are able to provide for themselves and their colony, people should be able to do the same.

"People who do not have, do not want to have. If you want to have then you cannot wait on things to happen. The scriptures says the person that becomes poor deals with a slack hand. So you must make some moves to get the things you desire," he told Tribune Religion.

When ants are on the hunt for food, they follow the trail. Although they are small when they come across an obstacle they do not give up, they a find away to get over or around the obstacle," said Sheena Burrows, a Methodist follower.

"I watched a group of ants before and they do not give up. They may come across a peace of food or something on the ground, but they find a way to get over it. They keep things moving. Christians can learn from the ants to be persistent. Never quit or give up for the things they want," she said.

One of the reasons ants are successful is their ability to work together. Each ant whether or not it is the queen of the colony knows exactly what its job is.

Maria Sands a Catholic faithful said the ants' culture to work together coherently, should be mimicked by all individuals playing key roles in social institutions.

"There needs to be much more of this kind of culture in our social institutions like the church, the government, and education. For these institutions to work the way they to should, there needs to be more team work and our people need to be on one accord if we want things to be much better," she said.