Thankful For Ants

Ants. Little black creatures that diligently work no matter the circumstance. To me they are both marvelous and disgusting. We were told in the Bible to study them and see how they work.
    
   Proverbs 6:6-8
       Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

I however, have been seeing plenty of ants working diligently to close for comfort. My husband and I are currently renting a double-wide that has some problems. One for example is ants. We had a decorative beam separate from the ceiling and it caused a gaping hole into the roof line. Low and behold there are ants nesting there. This shouldn't bother me too much because it isn't my house. We informed our landlord right away however we didn't have all the facts. Later in the day I came home to find small oblong sacks on my carpet. I first thought maybe the dog had one on him and brought it into the house. I was wrong. They were falling from the crack, and by the end of the day I had cleaned up seven or eight ant larva. Ants however are so diligent that a grown adult would climb down the wall to retrieve the fallen infants. Never being able to rescale the wall I ended up finding many adults and needing to "relieve them of their duties". 

Throughout this ordeal I was struggling with Philippians 4:6-7.

    Philippians 4:6-7
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I was worrying about the ants. It was as if my home was being overrun by tiny creatures and until the rental agency sent out an exterminator I was stuck. I would pray for the ants to go away, yet in the morning there on my carpet would be another one or two larva. I had no peace. Prayer seemed to be not working and making things more stressful because they were still there. And I knew they would continue to be there no matter how long I closed my eyes. Finally, after a week of living with the invaders, Ethan and I came up with a plan. We bought spray foam from Home Depot. The rental agency didn't mind since it was easy to remove, and after the landlord found out that he would not only need an exterminator but also had to replace the roof if he wanted to permanently solve the issue at hand; he thought the foam was a great solution. 

You must be thinking are there still ants living in the roof? Answer...yes, yes there are still ants living in the roof. However, I rest easy knowing that there is no possible way for them to get back out and onto my carpet. Sometimes I believe you have to meet God half way. Not exactly sure yet where he met us but he was there, and he wasn't going to magically get rid of our problems in one fell swoop. He allowed us to handle the matter and then be grateful that it hadn't been worse. God allows for trials in our lives. The way we look at them and deal with it determines whether the trial strengthens or harms our relationship with God. We must always put our faith first and remember that everything happens for a reason even if we cannot see it.  I have to remember that our living conditions are better than most of the world's. Ethan and I have learned a great deal from living in our rental. To live without and to take things in stride. We have learned to be thankful for ants.