A wise missionary told me before I left, “It often is not the elephants that get you but the ants”. There are many stressful things that happen anywhere, and usually it is the constant annoying things that can pile up and send us packing, rather than the big things.
Yesterday we discovered ants in our granola. We thought the container was sealed but they are crafty little creatures and found a way to slip inside. Now, this may seem like a very minor thing. It is really, but when you add on that daily life here takes a lot more work and planning, it has been excessively hot the last week, I still get very frustrated that I can’t communicate, and the discovery of the ants was just about enough to send me to my room for a good long cry.
I would love to say I had some spiritual revelation that brought deep peace. I didn’t though. Instead, Kristin and I looked at our little “ant farm”, looked at each other, and laughed. Yes, we laughed. “Oh well!” we said, and sifted through the granola container, scooping it into our bowls. “We cannot let them beat us”.
I am learning to let go. There are many things that can send me over the edge. There is news from home that is anything but pleasant, making the miles seem to multiply. Seeing things daily that break my heart, realizing sometimes my heart is numb and doesn’t break enough. And there are things like ants in the granola that are small trials. All of these God can use to refine us, teach us to lean even closer to Him and trust Him.
What is your “ants-in-the-granola” story? How did God use the daily frustrations or the big stress-moment to teach you?
A Heart Like His 
Just checking to make sure you're okay after eating the granola! Laughing – what else can you do?! So proud of you.
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This is a great story about the little things that get to us. I so easily let little things send me over the edge! I would probably be having a good cry once a day if I were in your shoes (since I often have good cries in my own shoes!). I'm proud of how you're learning and growing. Thanks for sharing that journey with us.
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I ate the ants in my granola (which was a peanut butter sandwich) because I didn't realize until 2/3 of the way through that the sandwich tasted funny and I was feeling a bit sick. Opened it up and lo, and behold, I was not eating Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter but Creamy Peanut Butter and extra crunchy ants. Lesson learned: don't daydream while making and/or eating PB sandwiches.
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