Celebrity Column: Peace Hyde talks about ‘The Diligence of an Ant’

Hello and welcome to a Piece of Peace, your weekly dose of motivation and inspiration. This week I would like to share on the topic “The diligence of an Ant”.

Ask anybody who knows me and you will realise that I am the biggest coward in the room when it comes to creepy crawlers. I hate any cockroaches, ants, insects, worms you name it if they crawl I am out of the room in a matter of seconds. This week I had an encounter with one such animal. I was in a room waiting for an interview with a colleague.

There was a little table next to the chair I was sitting on which had my orange juice and biscuits that we had been served with. As I looked down to grab a sip, I saw tiny ants scurrying on the table with little crumbs of biscuits. My first reaction was to use the book I was holding to squash them. Before I did that, something curious caught my eye.

The ants were lined up in a single file carrying crumbs of biscuits away. There was an order and precision with what they were doing. I decided to research a little more into Ants and the ethos they live by and what I found was quite impressive.

One of the things that came up in my research was that when an obstacle is put in front of an ant, they do not just stand back and get depressed or wallow in self-pity. They simply keep going.

As I watched them carrying crumbs of biscuits, I noticed a tiny ant carrying a crumb at least three times its size. A spoon lying on the table was a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, but the ant was not giving up. It tried several times to push the crumb over the spoon, but it seemed impossible.

The ant went off for a minute or two, then came back to try again, and eventually got that piece of biscuit over the spoon and then off into a hole in the wall, a triumph of persistence! Whether they take a route around or over that obstacle, they just keep moving tirelessly toward their goal. They do not give up. Ever. Can we learn to be this devoted to our purpose and to give it our best at all times?

Today don’t settle where you are. The economy, your past or what anyone thinks or says does not determine your destiny. God only determines your Destiny. God’s desire is that we continually progress, that we reach new heights and go to new levels. Often as soon as we make the decision to step out in faith and obey God, the enemy brings in fear to try to stop us.

He’ll bring thoughts like “what if you fail?” what are other people going to think? You don’t have what it takes.

He will do his best to use fear to convince us to shrink back and stay where we are. Do not let him. You are born to be great, and you have everything you need to succeed.

Much Love,

Peace Hyde