Tandem Running

Tandem Running

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

A recently published study revealed that worker ants—those tiny little creatures that never seem to stop working—sacrifice time and efficiency in order to teach other ants how to find food.^a When an ant goes out to find food, she will often choose another ant to accompany her. If the second ant doesn’t know the way to the food source, the leader will teach her through a process called “tandem running.” As the teacher runs along the path to food, the student follows behind and will often stop to locate landmarks. When the student is ready, she will run forward and tap her teacher on her back legs.

This process is extremely beneficial for the student. Ants participating in tandem running located a food source in an average of 201 seconds, while ants searching for food on their own took an average of 310 seconds (a 35 percent difference). However, the study found that the lead ants traveled up to four times faster when they were not accompanied by a student.

If the leader didn’t want to be slowed down this much, researchers also observed that some would simply carry a follower on their backs and drop it off at the food source. This technique was three times faster than tandem running. But here’s the catch: the carried ants were not able to remember how to get back to the food source again.

Learning to slow down goes hand in glove with cultivating patience with one another—and appreciating another’s gifts. As you slow down enough to practice “tandem running” with your spouse, you’ll cultivate patience in the process and enjoy a deeper connection with your unique mate. Since God works differently through different people, we are able to benefit from a variety of gifts, not just our own, and nowhere is this more satisfying than when we’re running in tandem with our spouses.

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.

—Martin Luther

^a 43