The Ant and the Grasshopper – The Old and Modern Version

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

A note from Pastor Tim: Hi Fresh Manna readers. I haven’t taken any time off from writing for a very long time. I am going to take the week of May 29th off for a little vacation time with Renee. I’ll be back to writing the following week of June 5th. Go through the archives online if you’d like to catch up with some previous writings! You’ll find it on the home page of TimBurt.org (archives) God bless you! 

An Inspirational Story: The Ant and the Grasshopper/ Old Version and Modern Version

by Author Unknown

Classical Version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well-fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Modern Version

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.

BBC, CNN, NDTV show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house. Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support for the grasshopper.

Opposition MP’s stage a walkout. Left parties call for “Bharat Bandh” in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.

Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act [POTAGA]”, with effect from the beginning of the winter. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA, and having nothing left to pay his retroactive fines, his home is confiscated by the government and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by BBC, CNN and NDTV. Arundhati Roy calls it “a triumph of justice”. Koffi Annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Morals of the story:

1.)  Proverbs 6:6 (NIV) “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

2.)  Proverbs 13:4 (NLT) “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”

3.)  Proverbs 19:17 (NIV) “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”

4.)  2 Peter 3:3 (NLT) “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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