There was once an ant named Andy. Andy was a worker ant, but he didn't want to be. He did the same thing every day, marching in a line of other workers storing food for the cold winter months. He hated that line. There was a big world to see, and he wanted to be a part of it. He wanted to do something worthwhile; something exciting like the soldier ants did. He complained to his father constantly. “Andy,” his father would reply, “not all of us are made to be soldiers. We are workers and play a vital role in the colony. What would happen if we didn't bring food to the others?” Andy didn't like this reply at all. His reasoning was that there were thousands of workers. How could one ant make a difference?
Andy decided to try being a soldier. One morning, he rose before his father and went to the soldier's barracks. The other soldier ants knew Andy didn't belong, but they also knew some lessons had to be learned the hard way. They gave Andy assignments he couldn't do. For months, Andy tried being a soldier, but the life he had envisioned wasn't that glorious. The soldier ants were constantly training and fighting, working much harder than the worker ants. Finally, when the first cold winds of the winter blew, he returned home defeated.
As the long winter months dragged by, the food supply began running out. Each ant's ration was smaller and smaller until the food ran out. The council of ants that organized the workers were advised that Andy hadn't been in the worker line for months. All the ants were angry; Andy hadn't carried his load, and now they were all suffering. Andy didn't understand; how could he have made any difference? “Son,” his father said, “we each have a load to carry in life. When one doesn't do his duty, the whole body suffers.”
Andy finally understood. The worker line may not have been glamorous or exciting, but others were counting on his work for survival. The next summer as the lines of worker ants formed, Andy took his place proudly, realizing that one small ant could make a difference.
“He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to be a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ” (Eph 4:11-15).
Sometimes in this life, we feel as Andy did. How can we, as one person, possibly make a difference to any one? Does anyone even notice or care? Just because not all of us are called to be preachers, evangelists, deacons or teachers don't mean we are not vitally important to Christ. He died for all of us. Some of us are prayer warriors; some of us offer compassion and understanding; some of us are called to be comforters; some have the gift of music; and some have the gift of words. In all of these, however, we are to use these gifts to reflect the love of Christ to our fellow man. It might not be glamorous or exciting to an increasingly evil world, but it is vital to the wellbeing of the body of Christ.
How are you using your gift?