25 Reasons I am Thankful for Ants

My roommate and I are trying to turn a habit of complaining about ants into praise to God in all things, so we challenged each other to come up with 25 reasons we are thankful for ants. Our theory was that our two lists would not be alike, so we would end up with 50 reasons why we should be thankful for ants. We wrote our lists without consulting each other, but I think that there ended up being bit of overlap. (See her list on her blog.)

1. Thank you, God, that ants provoke a lazy person to be diligent (Prov. 6:6)

   

   Ant-eaten holes in my clothes

2. Thank you, God, that when I find my clothes swarming with ants and see the holes they have eaten into the fabric everywhere, it reminds me to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matt. 6:24)
3. Thank you, God, for this major incentive to mop every day, which keeps our house lovely.
4. Thank you, God, that ants clean up trash like dead cockroaches and so contribute to tidiness and order.
5. Thank you, God, that ants are impossible to kill. This inspires me to be the same way when Satan sees me: constantly invading and never worth the bother of squishing because I will merely wriggle into shape again and crawl on my way.
6. Thank you, God, that ants can wander around the same square of tile for a long time without finding anything or getting anywhere. This inspires me to not lose heart in the midst of seemingly pointless labor. 
7. Thank you, God, that ants successfully carry really big loads. This inspires me to never be daunted by my littleness compared to the size of a project. 
8. Thank you, God, that ants bite hard! This gives me a chance to thank You in all things and rejoice even when I suffer. 
9. Thank you, God, for how the ants unify the missionaries--everyone unites in the fight to make the house inhospitable to them!
10. Thank you God, for how ants can fit into really little cracks, like little reconnaissance robots. That's cool. I'm thankful that ants are cool. How lame. I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. I've run out of all the obvious ones. Lord Jesus! Make me really, truly thankful for ants! How can I praise you for ants that crawl on me and bite me and eat my clothes and ruin my food and swarm everywhere over the floor? Help me.
11. Thank you, God, that ants look ahead and plans for the future. I am thankful that even in such a little (seemingly senseless) creature, I can find an example of this kind of wisdom. 
12. Thank you, God, that the ant is responsible without anyone telling it what to do. That inspires me to be the same. 
13. Thank you, God, that the ant does its seemingly insignificant job faithfully and consistently, because that is what You have designed it to do. That inspires me to do what You have designed me to do faithfully and consistently, too, even when it seems insignificant.
14. Thank you, God, that the ant has a master sense for food. Within minutes of us dropping a crumb, it will be surrounded and an ant highway will have developed. It makes me consider: Do I have that same hunger for spiritual food? Do I immediately sense the smallest crumb that drops from heaven? Do I seize it, and tell all my friends, and get them to help bring it back to my home and to my life? Thank you, God, for this lesson. 
15. Thank you, God, that ants make no sound. They do their work in silence. They get squished in silence. Thank you, God, that they don't sound like mosquitoes!
16. Thank you, God, that ants are so numerous! It shows me what impact numerous tiny things can have. They suggest that I never again need to wonder if my numerous prayers are having any impact.
17. Thank you, God, that ants can burrow through the cement walls and floor of my house. That's amazing. I thank You that this means they can get in. They can also get in through the open windows and doors. I thank You that in every way, our house is not closed off to them, even though I don't feel very thankful, because you only allow what is good.
18. Thank you, God, for ants being fast. Sometimes I have to try two or three times to get my thumb on top of one of the hyperactive ones. That helps me to speed up my reflexes, which I'm sure is good for my brain. 
19. Thank you, God, that ants are edible. I'm sure I have unwittingly eaten lots of them. 
20. Thank you, God, that ants are organized underground. At least the vast majority of them are probably out of sight at all times. 
21. Thank you, God, that ants are not 3 feet long. What horror that would be!
22. Thank you, God, that ant bites are not poisonous. If they were, I'm sure I would have died by now. 
23. Thank you, God, that ants are under man's dominion and I'm allowed to kill them without committing murder. 
24. Thank you, God, that for the whole first 30 years of my life, I never even knew what it was like to have to face this problem. 
25. Thank you, God, that you created the ant, that you declared it very good, and that you have a purpose in teaching me to be thankful in all things through this little creature. I am yours, ants or no ants!