Ants in your pants

Be the Light, Encouragement, Freedom, Glory of God, God's provision, Good News, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Salvation, Worry 4 Minutes

That’s right folks, it is time for another adventure from the ranch! When we got our property, it was overrun with thistles. That first summer it was an everyday job to spray them with weed killer, made specially for them. We had pump up sprayers that you put the weed killer in, mix with water, and put in a liquid blue dye, which would show you what you had already sprayed. Trust me, you needed to know, because after hours of spraying a field of thistles, you can easily lose your place.

One guy we had working for us, was out on a pasture that we now keep the horses in. My husband and the other guys were working on building the house, and could see him from the window. Well it was a hot summer day, and this young man decided he needed to sit down and take a water break. So he did just that, on a fire ant hill! All of a sudden, he jumped up and was dancing all around in furious circles, swatting and smacking himself. He was seen from the window and the other guys, who rushed to see what was going on. He screamed that he had ants in his pants and they were biting him!

He promptly stripped down to his underwear and went and jumped in a nearby pond. When he got out, he was covered in little red welts. After this incident, he was more mindful of mounds on the property.

He literally just demonstrated the definition of having ants in you pants. It is to be very agitated or excited about something, and unable to stand still because you are excited or worried about something.

At one time, my husband was using the backhoe to cut a ditch to lay the pipe for water from one of our springs to flow through, and he had to cut through one of these mounds. It was fascinating to see the inner workings of the fire ant colony. And boy were they mad!

Unlike many other ants, which bite and then spray acid on the wound, fire ants bite only to get a grip and then sting (from the abdomen) and inject a toxic, alkaloid venom. For humans, this is a painful sting, a sensation similar to what one feels when burned by fire (hence the name), and the after-effects of the sting can be deadly to sensitive people. Fire ants are more aggressive than most native species, and have been known to kill small animals. Fire ant queens may live up to seven years and can produce up to 1,600 eggs per day, and colonies will have as many as 250,000 workers. The estimated potential life span for a worker is between 5 years and 6 years.

I recently signed up to get My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers in my inbox every day. The other day was about “Impulsiveness.” He wrote, “There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic.” Or in keeping with the theme of this post, Jesus never had ants in his pants. He never became very agitated or worried about things, because He was God, living in His Father’s will.

What actually started me thinking about fire ants was an email from a friend, Mandy who blogs too. https://bluecollartheologian.blog/

I sent her a picture of my little pink Swiss Army knife, and she mentioned how her husband just purchased the FireAnt 3 Pack – Fire Starter and Tinder System for his Swiss Army Victorinox Knife. It is a 100% Waterproof patented fire starting system fits right into the Swiss Army Knife corkscrew!

  • Glows in the dark to help find your knife at night.
  • Superior quality flint formula – Easy to spark, makes big sparks, easy on knife tools.
  • Anti-Corrosion color coating protects from moisture and elements for long life.
  • Worlds lightest and smallest waterproof fire starting system. Weighs only 1 gram!

I thought that is so cool! I love little gadgets! It modifies what you already have, gives it additional purpose, and it glows in the dark!

Which is just like us. Jesus have given us everything we already need. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3 [NIV])

He is helping modify us to become more like Him every day. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18 [Berean Study Bible])

He gives us purpose. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Phil. 2:13 [NIV])

We glow in the dark. “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 [NLT])

We have anti-corrosion coating. “But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.” (I Thes. 5:8 [ESV])

Who knew my little pink pocket knife started all of this? Let’s live like we don’t have ants in our pants, and be like Jesus; with no impulsive or thoughtless actions, but only with a calm strength that never gets into a panic. And also exhibit all the qualities of the Fire Ant gadget I mentioned above.

Thanks Nathan for the inspiration for this post!

© 2021 Fluffy Puppy Publishing All Rights Reserved

Published by God Still Speaks

I am a prodigal daughter that has developed an insatiable hunger for the Word of God! I am doing my best to be obedient in sharing what I learn with others, with my own unique spin, using the way God made me, linear with a twist!

Published

27 thoughts on “Ants in your pants”

  1. Amen! Speaking of fire ants, our son was attacked by a bunch of fire ants a couple weeks ago at school. They were all over his shoes and bit him all over both ankles. He had the red welts, and we had to put ointment on him for a week. Thankfully, he is okay now. So glad he didn’t get bit worse. Those things are nasty, and they are all over Florida. Great analogy and post. God bless!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. “Jesus never got ants in His pants.! How true! Our Lord knew who He was, what He was here to do, and where He was going back to when His mission was complete. I’m surprised fire ants can survive the winters where you live. They are tough little critters!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Yep. I think I’d rather swim with snakes than take a dip with a big ball of fire ants.😳I read some about them too, after I read your post. Apparently, cold weather kills a lot of fire ants in a colony, but seldom all of them.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Sister, this is genius! I just read this out loud to Nathan and he is impressed as well! I love the glow in the dark image! We are most certainly called to be the light of the world! Fire ants are nasty business. I will confess I did just ask Nathan if a magnifying glass will kill them. I am so thankful for your friendship! Love, hugs and blessings!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. An awesome analogy! Made me think of the ways Jesus used things from nature to illustrate His points. I do desire to be so in step with the Father, that I walk with complete ease, peace and confidence, like Jesus. And I love your scripture truths to remind us of who we are in Him. He gives us salvation and so much more!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. What a marvellous and educational post sister! I am sure glad we don’t have fire ants in Scotland, but we do have the famous Highland midge…not to be confused with the sappy southern midge. That sounds like a real cool knife that Nathan has, a Rolls Royce of knives! I love how you tie these items into your devotional to tell a valuable story. In our frantic lives we certainly need to have serenity like our Lord.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. Wonderful post. My son experienced fire ants when he was in basic training with the Marines. Not something that he wanted to repeat! The message was timely since I just found out today that I have a brain tumor that requires surgery. no other info yet but The Lord is truly with me as i go through this mess! Praise Him for His goodness and grace.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Not really related to the post: for a few years after beginning to follow the Lord I would read My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. After awhile though, I became very frustrated with him. Seems he always pointed out the issue, but never helped in finding a solution. Perhaps I should try again?

    As for the fire ants: yeah… you can keep them! To live that kind of life… whoever does that can keep that one too. My work can go through seasons of very busy (and not “busy work”), but I try (not always successful) to remain calm through it, knowing that it will all get done… after all, if it is God’s work, He will see it through.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. He does see it and us through! The daily email I receive it just a brief subject that gets me thinking a little deeper. I see what you mean about no solutions, so I guess that’s up to us to dig into the Bible to find. I’d try again, it is just another tool in my arsenal.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment