Posts Tagged: ants

“Determination, Compassion, and the Ant Who Would Not Die”

On August 9, 2016 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

My wife is generally a very compassionate woman—except when it comes to ants. She doesn’t like them, at least not in the house.

So, I was surprised that she had not only spared one of the little creatures, but had actually carefully escorted it out of our house. However, this was only after she had tried to drown the little creature twice.

“Can ants breathe under water?” she asked me, early this morning.

Even though I had already drunk two cups of coffee, I was not prepared for a zoology question. I am in the humanities, not the sciences.

“I don’t think so,” I replied. Then, reaching into my shallow pool of half-remembered trivia, I said, “However, I think they can hold their breath for a surprisingly long time.”

“The reason I asked,” said my sweet, compassionate wife, “is that I tried to drown an ant in the bathroom sink, but he crawled right out. Then, I ran a lot of water in the sink, and was sure I had drowned him, but I turned around and there he was again.”

“Why didn’t you just smash him?” I asked.

“Well, I figured if he was that determined to live, I’d better let him; I took him outside and let him go.”

Here endeth the reading of today’s lesson!

Or rather, here the lesson beginneth!

Sometimes, sheer doggedness wins out in the end. The determination not to give up, no matter if a giant is trying to drown you, can prolong your existence. This is especially true if the giant has a compassionate respect for stubbornness and the will to survive.

God is a very compassionate Giant. Feel like you’re drowning, like nothing is working? I doubt that God is trying to drown you, but it may feel as if that is true. And, of course, other people, your job, your school, your own unrealistic expectations—these and a thousand other giants may be pouring cold weather (or raw sewerage?) on you.

Hold your breath and keep crawling out. Who knows? Compassion may very well win out in the end. If you choose to hold on and hold out, you may find compassion holding out her hand after all.

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