'BEE' THERE

See the bee? (It's on the bottom of
the second blossom clump down)

Oh, the sayings we borrow from the apiarian (bee) world: “busy as a bee,” “buzz-word,” “bee's knees.” “don't worry, bee happy,” “as cute as can bee,” and more. If you're really into this “bee” thing, visit this site: Bee Mottos and Slogans, Quotes and Sayings - Bee Real Honey

But a recent day, working near blueberry bushes where bees were crawling in the plants' blooms, I mused, “Thanks for BEE-ing there, little winged friends.” I knew their hovering over the bushes' tiny white blossoms could mean a crisp, tasty blueberry in a few months. Last year I didn't have many blossoms (and nearly zero berries) so I stirred some concoctions into the soil....and waited. This year the bee battalion came. Check with me the end of the summer to see if these black-and-yellow hovering insects did their magic.

I know I'm not the first human to stop and consider the bee. And probably not the first to pause a moment whenever I encounter “bee” or “honey/nectar” references in the Bible. These amazing insects and their golden, edible product have been around a long time! Probably the best known ”honey verse” comes in the conclusion of Psalm 19:7-10—that all the laws and ways of God are “more precious than gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” Others:

“How sweet are your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)

“Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul.” (Proverbs 24:13-14)

Love-sick King Solomon had a different analogy for his beloved: “Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11). I don't think he was referring to the menu for the wedding reception! Or a flavored lipstick.

Oh yes, strong man Samson also ate honey from a hive he found in a lion's corpse (Judges 14). I'm sorry, but, UGH!

A negative analogy: “The lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as gall....” (Proverbs 5:3-4). In other words, “bee” careful (sorry). Flattery that seems sweet can be bitter if it comes from a cloyed heart.

Could Jesus have Jesus enjoyed some raw honey while on His earthly rounds? Why not? No doubt He saw bees swarming around a hive. Though it's not in His recorded words, those bees certainly illustrated one of His final admonitions. Through a parable of a departing landowner giving instructions to his workers, the Lord gave this poignant command: “Occupy until I come” (Luke 19:13). “Occupy”--be at diligent work. Dare I say, like bees?

DILIGENCE

When culling my husband's desk files after his death, I came across many pocket calendars in which he kept track of his substitute teaching commitments. To me, they shouted the character quality of “diligence” in providing for our family. His elementary teaching career spanned fifty-five years, from college graduation to one year before his death at age 77. Nearly half of that was the high-paced calling of an elementary physical education teacher, the rest the challenges of substitute teaching. His “career change” within education came after we were nearly killed by a drunk driver. The trauma and stress of that accident mandated a lifestyle adjustment.

So what of the pocket calendars? When he turned to substitute teaching with its lower wages, he still had plenty of work. We'd always lived frugally, so managed. The “less-stress” was worth it. Some jobs came by the automated substitute calling system. Sometimes teachers called him directly. Other times, they'd catch him in the hall and say, “I want you for these days.” He'd whip out his pocket calendar and, if he wasn't already committed, they'd have their favorite sub.

To say he was popular would be understatement. He controlled his classes. He added fun to learning via a rolling suitcase full of games and rewards. For example, he boasted that he had special pencils only for students who were left-handed, like him. Of course, they were generic pencils—either hand—but it bonded those “lefties” to a beloved teacher.

If I could characterize his teaching life, I'd use the word “diligent.” In both sides of his career—the elementary p.e. teacher and the jack-of-all-trades (preferring elementary) substitute—he could be relied on to step in and keep a class going. Back at home, my work (besides freelance writing) was raising our two children to responsible (and academically stellar) adulthood, practicing frugality to help us live on one income, and helping care-give his ailing parents, whom we moved to a home next door to us. We were a team.

When his health started failing around age 75, and he had to phase out subbing, we were still a team. When I come across scriptures that commend diligence, I think of his example:

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied. (Proverbs 13:4)

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. (Colossians 3:23)

One common thread in our backgrounds was the expectation that we would work once we reached adulthood. Before that, in childhood, we had chores that weren't fun but expected of us. Plus school was a priority. So was respecting parents and adults in our lives. (They practiced Proverbs 29:15!)That wasn't just a “parent command.” It represented the desire of God, speaking through the apostle Peter:

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness...knowledge... self-control... perseverance... godliness.. brotherly kindness... love. (1 Peter 1:5-7)

Peter added that developing these spiritual traits would keep us from being “ineffective and unproductive” in living for Christ (v. 8). Like those substitute assignments my husband wrote down in his pocket calendars, character development is a God-calling that takes diligence. Shirking it dishonors the Lord.

(1) Among websites about biblical diligence is this link: 20 Bible Verses on Diligence (adiligentheart.com)

The buzz on "busy"





A busy bee got my attention one day when I looked out my office window at the blooming rhododendrons.  As he floated from one blossom to another, I thought of a children’s book I’ve been reading my grandson Josiah. It follows a diligent bee who says “no” to farm animals inviting him to play with them. “I’ve got work to do,” he says, buzzing to the next flower. The bee finished his work by the last page when he rewarded the farmer with honey—and the book’s electronic cell rewarded the reader with a happy “buzz.” Toddlers love those surprises in their books!

“I’ve got work to do” often comes out of my mouth. The work ethic modeled for me in childhood continued into my working life as a reporter with its stressful deadlines requiring focus and productivity. I still remember the loud clatter of old-fashioned typewriters in the newsroom, the mechanical version of buzzing bees. Now, juggling housework, writing, and care of others keeps me buzzing from project to project.

 Sometimes I think about how busy the Bible’s Martha felt, especially when Jesus dropped in for a visit. What a privilege to have Him come.  But she didn’t have a microwave to zap Him and His companions a ready-made meal, or an “app” to have one delivered from the pizza parlor. In those days, everything about homemaking was labor-intensive. I “get” her desire to serve a meal worthy of this amazing Person.  But I also understand Jesus’ admonition, “Only one thing is needed,” to mean that a simple meal, not a showcase menu, was okay. Yes, she got a bit snippy toward Mary, who wasn’t helping. But stomachs would have rumbled if they’d both sat at Jesus’ feet.

We need the balance of Martha and Mary in our spiritual personalities. In his book The Attentive Life (IVP, 2008), former Graham team evangelist Leighton Ford explained how some of us lean toward the mundane things of life, and some toward the so-called “spiritual,” but both traits are necessary. As an example, he quoted Mother Teresa, talking of the work of the Sisters of Mercy in caring for the dying poor in India: “Do not think of us as social workers,” she said, alluding to the “Martha” side.  “We are contemplatives in the midst of life. We pray the work” (p. 107).

Like Martha, we need to be diligent about serving God (akin to the bee making honey). James 4:17 says we sin when we know what we ought to do, and don’t do it. But we also need the “Mary” side that savors the spiritual nectar in God’s Word, “sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb” (Psalm 19:10).