CBH Ministries- Keys for Kids: Consider the Ant


"How do I get so unlucky?" wondered Brian aloud as the family ate dinner one Sunday noon. "I ask a simple question and get stuck doing a report."

Mom smiled as she asked, "How did that happen?"

"Today's memory verse was 'Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways, and be wise.' Our teacher said a sluggard is a lazy person," explained Brian. "Then I asked what was so special about ants, and Miss West said I should research them and write a report for next week."

"That should be interesting, and it might be helpful with another problem, too," observed Dad. "You know, Brian, Mom and I have talked to you many times about your habit of putting things off until the last minute and being late so often. Maybe the ants will have a few lessons to teach you."

Brian shrugged. "Yeah . . . well, I suppose I should do things a little more promptly," he admitted, "but I doubt that making a report on ants will get me out of bed any earlier in the morning or help me get my schoolwork or chores done any quicker."

After a little prodding from his parents, Brian finally got busy on his report. To his surprise, he enjoyed learning about ants. He discovered that there were many different kinds-all of them interesting. "I read that an ant can carry a load fifty-two times its own weight," he reported one night. "And one kind gathers grain at harvest time and stores enough to last a whole year. Another kind can strip all the leaves off a small tree in one night. But you want to know which kind is the funniest of all? It's the kind that tends herds of aphids and milks them!" Mom and Dad found the information interesting, too.

"Ants are very busy little creatures!" Brian told his class the next Sunday. "I guess that's why the Bible says to consider their ways."

Miss West nodded. "If all Christians worked as well as ants do, the world would be a better place," she said. 

The next day, Brian was ready for school bright and early. He grinned at his surprised mother. "I decided I can't let those little ants show me up," he said. "The least I can do is be ready on time every day."


HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you a procrastinator-someone who puts things off? Are you a sluggard-a lazy person? If you are, today's Key Verse is one you should memorize. Don't let the little ants put you to shame. Think about how busy they are and how hard they work. Then follow their example. Doing your work promptly and well, both at school and at home, is an important part of building a strong Christian character.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise. Proverbs 6:6