Bee Analogy
Well, the crocuses bloomed last week! With joy we watched the honeybees crawl in and out of the colorful blooms.
A day earlier, Michael and I had gone to the Beekeepers’ Meeting. That week the speaker was Harold Miller—a weathered mountaineer “who lives in his bee yard”. Between giving tips and answering questions, he mentioned something to beware of: something that lent itself to a clear analogy . . .
It’s springtime, the temperature rises and falls like a roller-coaster, and inside their hive the bees band together in a ball of warmth and life called a cluster. When a few warm days come, the “ball” can move. Together all the bees in the cluster shift a little bit to find new stores of honey to live on until the next warm period. And so it goes until the winter is over and they are free to begin the life work of producing more honey.
However, not all of the bees live to see the spring.
If one bee stays behind when the cluster moves, something different happens. While the honeybee is by itself, simply surviving and enjoying its own cell full of honey, the cold makes the cell around it begin to shrink. By the time the honey is finished, the shrinking cell has trapped the bee inside and its honey house hideout becomes a tomb.
During one Sunday morning message, Dad reminded our family of the need to be in “one accord” with other believers as the early church was. While it is sometimes necessary to stand alone, going off on our own for a selfish reason is a short-sighted decision. Unless God in His mercy “allows the temperature to warm up” for a time, the church of Christ will go on to reap the harvest without us! What is God doing among His people at our time in history? What is our part in that? What is of so great importance to distract us from making disciples of all nations?
DISCRETION
Avoiding those words, actions and attitudes
which could result in undesirable consequences
How very true, we are very vunerable when we get wrapped up in a focus of “self”. When our focus is on the Lord then we will be fully absorbed in His desires for us.
It is neat to hear how Spring is arriving their in the Virginia’s. God bless the bee operation!!
This is a valuable lesson to learn, and best not learned the hard way. On the “warm” days we need to remember that “cold” days may be coming when we will need the help of others, and stay with the group. You know, it seems like many in Scripture operated rather alone, apart from the protection of the big group (Noah, Abraham, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, John the Baptist, etc.). Notice though, that the “big group” we need to stay with is God Himself and His people. Remember Elijah? Alone as we may seem, those that be with us are more than those that be with them. Sometimes those that appear to be unified will end up killing each other (Judges 7:22, 2 Chron. 20:23). True unity involves not just a common desire (which could be a selfish one) but also a sacrifice of self, which is required to follow Christ (Mt. 16:24). By dying to self and allowing Jesus Christ to be our glorious and un-ending life, we become part of His work of righteousness, and one with His saints around the world. See Eph. 4:1-6 and John 17:23.
That is really an excellent analogy! Staying in one accord is difficult because it requires humility: “Only by pride cometh contention” (Proverbs 13:10).
I have learned a lot from the Bee meeting but I never thought you could put analogies to them. That is a very good idea.
Wisdom in its wisdom!