The Ant Farm:
A story of grace.

I had this ant farm as a kid. It wasn't the greatest toy in the world, but for a kid without cable, watching living creatures tunnel and forage is better than nothing.

I had to send off for my ants. They didn't come in the farm you buy at the store…makes sense, I guess. If the product doesn't move fast enough off the store shelf, you are left not with ants, but with little black tic-tacs.

When my ants came, I dumped them into their 8" by 10" Plexiglas world, and the little guys went to town (farm). They worked and played, loved and died, all under my watchful care. And they never once stopped to thank me.

This ingratitude was upsetting to me. Did I not feed them? Did I not keep them dry and warm? Did I not give them light and dark? Except for my solar eclipse experiments involving a flashlight and a piece of cardboard held above the farm, did I not regulate their natural world? (You should see earthquakes!) Was I not, to them, ANT-GOD? Yet after all of this, these ants didn't seem to know (or care) that I existed!

I could not simply tell them about myself by speaking to them as I would to a human—the knowledge of reality as we humans know it would blow their little ant minds. I hinted at my existence, but they kept right on, ignoring me and living however they pleased. The little ant-theists.

And so it is with humans and God. We go about our lives without any knowledge of God. In fact, the Bible says that we are enemies of God (Romans 5:10). We may not think we are, but we are (Romans 3:23). This is sin, hatred of God. And we are in great danger from this power of sin, which leads us to destruction.

But there is hope. If my ants hated me, I'd probably just wipe them out. But God, who should've hated us humans, loves us in return (Romans 5:8). God sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die on the cross for our sins. Christ paid the debt for all humans once and for all. Now, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). This way, no human can say that they earned their salvation, but all are saved by grace alone (Galatians 2:21).

No matter who you are or what you've done, you can be forgiven in Christ. God has a plan for your life. If you have never accepted Christ and His plan of salvation, I would urge you to talk to a minister in your church or community. They can give you more information and help you with your decision. If no minister is available, email me, and I'll try to answer any questions you may have. God's grace is everywhere.