The Life of a Bee
Posted by: ba <ba@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Oliver's Twist
The Life of a Bee
by Barbara Oliver
The bee stung him right on the thumb! He just
brushed it off, puffed a little smoke on it, and
went on with his lesson.
This past weekend, I participated in a short-
course for beekeepers. Two mornings of classes,
and two afternoons in a bee yard actually working
with the bees. That's where the instructor got
stung. In fact, he got stung about four times that
day! He said he was used to it and it didn't
bother him. Me, I stayed securely wrapped up in my
white coveralls, bee-veil, gloves, and rubber
bands around my ankles so they couldn't crawl up
my pant legs!
Bees are hard workers. In fact, they get a little
cranky when there is not enough pollen and nectar
to keep them busy. At least that is what we
beekeepers think when we have to look into their
hives during a slow spell. They can be mighty
testy. But we risk their displeasure for a taste
of their sweet product - honey!
Honey is on my "favorite foods" list. As early as
Genesis, honey has been a part of human history.
Israel instructed his sons to carry "a little
honey" to Pharaoh (Genesis 43:11). Manna tasted
like "wafers of honey" (Exodus 16:31), and the
land of Canaan was said to be "a land flowing with
milk and honey" (Exodus 33:3). Proverbs recommends
eating it, but in moderation (Proverbs 24:13,
25:27). And Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would eat
"curds and honey" (Isaiah 7:15). Of course, we all
know that John the Baptizer dined on locusts and
wild honey (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6).
Bees are fascinating. As soon as the little bee
crawls out of her cell, she turns around and
cleans it out, getting it ready for a new
occupant. Then she starts taking care of all the
little eggs and larvae, making and feeding them
"bee bread". After a stint as housekeeper, she
flies out of the hive as a forager, bringing back
pollen and nectar. She works so hard that,
eventually, she wears her little wings out.
Bees live a dangerous life, full of threats within
and without the hive. Beetles, moths, mites, mice
and ants take a deadly toll on the colony itself.
Spiders, wasps, birds, toads and lizards attack
them in the fields. Even fish will occasionally
grab them! They make more honey than they can eat
- which is a good thing for us - and they work
until they literally drop dead!
Every bee in the hive has a purpose. And each bee
lives its short life performing the work it was
meant to do.
It reminds me of our Christian life. We need to be
involved in good works from our earliest days. And
we can never "retire" from the Lord's work. Like
the life of a bee, our work may change, but work
we must! And after we have worked our little wings
off, we can still fly away home!
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