Our neighbor got some free entertainment yesterday as I flung the sandals off of my feet and hopped around frantically in front of our house. Hundreds of red ants were pouring out of the soles of my sandals and attacking me for disturbing their new colony. This left me dancing about desperately trying to brush them all off. Our neighbor sat calmly and watched, but I know she must've had great stories to tell over dinner that night about the crazy "farang*" who lives next door.
Today, the ants launched a second attack. As I sat in a coffee shop attempting to study Thai, I noticed a burning sensation on my neck. Itching and burning, I could feel the heat and swelling of mysterious bug bites. Mysterious because the bites continued to appear but no bug could be found. By the time I found my way to a mirror to investigate the situation, I had a least six red, swollen bites on my neck. And then I saw him... a little red ant swinging like Tarzan from a strand of my hair, biting my neck with every swoop! First, I felt like could've killed him! Then, I did kill him. And then I started thinking.
Recently, I've been letting small things irritate me. Exhibit A: Ants, very small and very irritating. I have not been patient and my attitude has been terrible. But I have been increasingly aware of my need for a more Godly perspective in day-to-day life. These are the same ants that I have been at war with for the past six and a half months. At the very beginning of this war I wrote a blog post about Phil's absurd prayer thanking God for the ants. That was very humbling for me. This afternoon I reread that blog post. With my own words staring at me, I was once again convicted of the same sinful tendencies that brought about this confession the first time.
I guess review is one of the keys to learning. So here goes once again...
Lord, thank you for the ants. Open my eyes to see life from your perspective. Teach me to walk in your peace, not swayed by everything that doesn't go my way. I praise you that your grace is sufficient for me (2 Corinthians 12). Amen.
*Farang is the Thai word for foreigner
