We have been having a big problem in our house this year. Actually, I should say we are having a lot of problems in our house. I correct my words because our “big problem” is made up of hundreds of small problems. Our problem is ants, lots and lots of ants!!
Often when we wake up in the morning, we will go into the kitchen and overnight the ants have discovered something that we left out. The Starbucks cup that someone left on the counter is now black and looks like it is moving. The late-night snack plate that didn’t get rinsed is being picked over by a mob of invaders. The trash can that had something attractive in it has a trail going up and down the side. We work very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen, but there isn’t much that you can do about it. The ants are just there. We then spend the morning smashing ants, hoping that this time we will finally get enough of them to stop them from returning!
As I was reflecting on this, I began to realize that there are a lot of similarities to problems that seem to sneak their way into our lives. Problems that sneak their way into our lives keep us from thriving, they hold us back, they move us in the wrong direction, they distract us from doing what we need to do or what we could be. And too often we find ourselves smashing the ants rather than solving the problem. Whether these “problems” that have snuck into our lives are sins, bad habits or cultural/makeup issues they are real and they need to be dealt with. Here are some lessons that we are learning that are helping us win the battle with the ants and hopefully can help us win the battle with our life problems.
- Admit the problem is real: We tend to want to say, “Oh, these ants show up every year, they don’t stick around.” However, we are finding that not to be true – they seem to be here to stay. With our sins, challenges, or our bad habits it doesn’t do any good to minimize or deny them. Admit that there is a problem.
- Commit to win: If we leave a drop of honey on the counter or a plate with salad dressing in the sink, the ants will be there. We can’t open the door to the problem, or it will just get worse. With things that keep us from thriving, we need that same kind of commitment. We can’t let bad habits start to build up – these problems show up when we aren’t doing our best. We can’t ignore the things that lead to our problems showing up.
- Share the battle: If we are going to beat the ants, we need the help of everyone around. We can’t just leave the battle up to one person – it takes the whole household to beat these problems. It’s the same way with life problems: we need the help of our brothers and sisters to get through. Unfortunately, too often we try to fix things on our own.
We are making progress with our ants when we do these things. We can make progress with those problems that keep us from thriving, too. It is how we can get past those sins, bad habits and other issues that keep us from being who God called and created us to be. But, that is where the metaphor of the ants comes up short.
With the ants, we aren’t looking for God to rescue us, yet, God is where we need to go first with these other “problems.” We can learn a lot from a battle with pests, but that doesn’t point us to the truth that can save us. We need to be dependent on the one who has created us, redeemed us, and fills us with resurrection power. Yes, we still need to admit the problem is real, do our best and share the work together, but when we look first toward God’s grace and power, we can experience forgiveness AND overcome the sins, bad habits and makeup issues that hold us back. We serve the God of Grace who has sent the Holy Spirit to us to lead us to thrive.
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