When we first arrived in Arizona back in June, we housesat for my sister while she and her family were in Michigan. I was sitting out by her pool one day and noticed that between some of their beautiful white pavers lived hundreds of tiny ants. Each day I would grab a bucket and pour water on their home hoping they would die or decide to relocate. But each day, they kept coming back to the same spot. I finally had had enough of them so I grabbed the hose and sprayed them into the turf and relentlessly let the water run over their home for quite some time hoping that would do the trick. I thought I had won until only after a few minutes I watched in amazement as these scattered and confused creatures gradually regathered and made their way back home. There was no destroying them, so I eventually gave up.
What I did to those ants reminds me of what 2020 has tried to do to me. On days like today, when I am being sprayed with anxiety, doubt, irritability, homesickness, and PMS, I feel like one of the confused and scattered ants just trying to feel my way around back to “normal.”
YET… like the ant, I seem to have this antenna in me that continues to keep redirecting me back home where I belong. Back to truth. Back to belief. Back to breathing in and breathing out. Back to hoping.
What I did to those ants also reminds me of what 2020 has tried to do the Church. Early on this year, when Covid was first made known, churches were forced to stop gathering. Doubt, depression, abuse, and addictions began to rise. We were left scattered and confused – spayed into unknown turf and more alone than ever before.
YET… like the ants, we are beginning to regather as though we too have this internal radar that continues to point us back to the house of the Lord. Back to corporate worship. Back to the hearing of God’s word. Back to fellowship. Back to life.
I wonder if Satan too is baffled. He’s tried washing us away with sickness. He’s poured buckets of family strife over our heads. He’s grabbed the hose and has relentlessly spayed us with doubt, fear, and lies – pushing us away from what we know. Away from fellowship. Away from purpose. Away from faith. He’s tried it all and YET … up from the ashes we continue to rise.
As the New Living Translation puts it…
7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.[a] This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11
The Holy Spirit is our internal radar. HE is our antenna. We can trust that through His power, though we may feel far far away from where we want to be, He will lead us back home. Though we’ve had cold water poured over us, there is no destroying a child of God or the bride of Christ. And eventually, there will be no choice but for Satan to give up.
So if an ant can find it’s way home…
…so will I.
Just as ants regather…
…so is the Church.