The spider and the flying ant

I was waiting for the lift at my place the other day, and I saw a spider stalking a flying ant.  It was quite fascinating watching the deadly drama play out.  The spider crept up to the flying ant in short little bursts, until it got close enough to strike.  Then with a blinding leap it attempted to capture the ant.  However, the flying ant showed astonishing dexterity by taking off and evading the spider, landing a few inches away.  But the spider was undeterred and crept up on the ant again.  Again and again, the flying ant would evade the spider's lunge, landing a few inches away.  I missed the lift, as you can imagine.

Isn't this peculiar?  Why doesn't the flying ant simply fly away?  Why stay within striking distance of the spider?  The law of averages demands that sooner or later, the spider is going to get him.  Seems to me that the flying ant is either terminally stupid or terminally lazy, in not flying away from danger. 

But maybe we're not much smarter.  Sometimes life throws temptations in our way.  And we keep thinking we can get away with it.  An opportunity to cheat, to cut corners.  Sometimes we just get lazy.  We stop doing the right things.  Maybe it's at work, when we start letting backlogs and problems build up.  Maybe it's at home, where we take our relationships with our children and spouses for granted.  Maybe it's with our moral compass, where we get complacent with white lies, or some harmless flirting.  Maybe it's with our spiritual life, where we start getting lazy with our quiet time with God.  Nothing will happen if we go just a little bit off track right?  All we need to do is make sure we don't get caught this time.

In other words, like the foolish flying ant, we try to do just enough to avert a crisis for just a little longer.  We test the situation to see how close we can walk to the red line without actually stumbling across it.  But sooner or later, the spider's going to get us.

God uses these small things to remind me how to live an examined life.  Life shouldn't be about trying to do just enough to survive from one crisis to another, or avoid getting into trouble this time.  Sooner or later, we'll trip up.  So I'm reminded to examine where danger lurks in my life, and focus on doing the right things, so that that darn spider can't get me.  I'm reminded to keep my eye on what's really important.  Knowing God's good plan for me.  Walking obediently in it.  Loving my wife and my family.  Testifying of God's goodness to my friends and colleagues through diligence, sincerity and integrity.  Fleeing decisively from danger when I detect it, and turning back to doing the right things, especially when I think "it's OK just this one time".  Getting help from family, friends and mentors to encourage me to keep doing these right things when I'm scared or lazy.

If you feel like this too - then, like me, maybe this is a reminder to realize that we can't evade the spider forever.  Make a decisive choice to break what is (eventually) a deadly cycle.  Only one life - we owe it to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to God to live it well :)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

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