Simply Family: The Ants and the Amish…

Sort of an odd title, huh?  Well let me explain…

This weekend we took a trip to Lancaster, PA.  What beautiful country! I fell in love with the landscape there.  Everywhere you turned, it looked like a postcard.  Rolling hills, farms, beauty.  God’s creation at its best.

We learned so much about the Amish people.  Very interesting indeed.  One thing I have been pondering this morning is how they have kept their traditions alive, and their way of life for so many generations.  Preserved, with very little changes.

In a world where people are changing at a faster rate than ever, the Amish people remain the same.  One of the reasons I think that is, is because of the mindset of community.  They all work together to maintain the community. They do not put themselves, their pleasures, their comfort, or their needs first.  They work for the good of the community, and of the family.  Thus, their community has remained somewhat unchanged.  Sure, there are small changes that have taken place over the years, but for the most part, they are preserved.

This morning in our devotions we talked about the ants.  We talked about  the main function in their lifetime is for the community to survive.  Their instinct is not to let themselves get ahead or separate from the community but to work for the good of the community.  For survival. For preservation.

We read from Proverbs 6:6-8:

We talked about working hard like the ants. Or the Amish.  How when we put others needs first we do not have to put ourselves first, because we have five other family members looking out for us- therefore our needs are assured to be met.

A family who each puts his needs above others is God’s intention.  A world where we do the same is ideal.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:3-4


And the passage continues, and I can scarcely catch my breath as I ponder it: