Brenda was a young Christian woman who wanted to learn to go rock climbing. Although she was somewhat anxious, she went with a group who had done it before and who were experienced. They had given her some basic training.

They arrived at the site of the climb and looked up at a tremendous cliff of rock…practically perpendicular. Fear gripped her, but she was committed to do this.  She put on her gear, took a hold of the rope, and started up the face of that rock.

She got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was resting there, whoever was holding the climbing rope up at the top of the cliff snapped the rope to straighten it…and unfortunately, the rope grazed against Brenda’s face and knocked out her contact lens.

A contact lens is tiny and clear and would not be easily found, especially on a rocky surface. Well, there she was on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked all around, vainly hoping that she would be able to somehow find that contact lens.

She was some distance from home; her sight was now blurry, and she did not even have a replacement lens. She knew that she somehow had to continue the climb, so she prayed to the Lord that He would help her find it.

She had another thought that perhaps when she got to the top of the cliff, one of the girls already up there would be able to check if her contact lens might be at the corner of her eye. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye. There was no contact lens to be found. She sadly sat down with her group, and waited for the rest of them to come up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She prayed, saying, ”Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains; and, You know exactly where my contact lens is."

Finally, the time came to go back down, and they regrouped. They walked down the trail to the bottom. Just as they got there, there was another party of rock climbers getting ready to begin their ascent. As one of girls in that group started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that’s startling enough, right? She had found Brenda’s contact lens! Even more unusual, guess how she saw it…an ant was carrying that contact lens on its back, as it was moving slowly across the face of the rock.

What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Is He in charge of the tiniest things, as well as all other things? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do. He made them. He designed them. He made you!

Brenda’s father was a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a cartoon picture of an ant lugging that contact lens over its head, and in a “word bubble” with the cartoon, he wrote the words: "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

If God is in charge of even the small things, don't you think He cares even more about you and me? Each person can learn a valuable lesson from that ant -- trust in God. We could probably all say a little more often, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. Still, if you want me to, I'll carry it for You.”

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Author: Its original source is the 1995 book Keep a Quiet Heart, by Elisabeth Elliot, where it appeared in a chapter entitled “Lost and Found.” Ms. Elliot attributes the story to a first-person account sent to her by Brenda Foltz of Princeton, Minnesota, who maintained she wrote it based upon an event that occurred during her first rock-climbing experience.

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Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. 1 John 3:22 ESV

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Matthew 21:22

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If you have a story or testimony that you think might bless others,
I invite you to send it by email to me (Kenneth Kersey) at godsotherways@me.com.

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