The Bees in the Tree

"for the bee"

Isaiah 7:18

The weather has been unusually warm in Southern California the past few weeks.  Which, I have to be honest, I have to work at appreciating.  I'm not a hot-weather girl.  I'm not even really a warm-weather girl.  I love it chilly, and I know I can't really expect very much cold in So Cal, but I'd at least like it to pretend like its winter. 

But it's not.  It's pretending like it's spring.  And it's fooling our apple tree into putting out (very lovely) blossoms.  And it's fooling the bees into thinking it's spring. 

I love bees.  I love how busy and happy and all-about-their-work they are.  And I love what they do for us.  The only bees I don't love are any that are currently stinging me.  And since that seldom happens ~ not since I was about thirteen ~ that just leaves me loving bees.

So I sat down to think and appreciate, and the tree was literally humming with bees.  I just watched them flying in circles, lighting on a flower for a few seconds, then moving on to a different one. 

The bees all had very noticeable pollen sacs, but they were of very different sizes. 

photo credit:  Wikipedia

 I was sort of fascinated by that.  Did some have bigger sacs because those bees were stronger and could lift more?  Or had they just gotten a head start in the morning, or maybe gotten to the blossoms that had more to give?

But I felt like each of them was doing his best, collecting like he was supposed to, with no worry about whose pollen sac was bigger.  I believe there are no show-offs in the bee world.

And you know what I started thinking about?  That story in the gospels about the woman who was healed just by reaching out to touch Jesus' hem as He walked by.  To be honest, I'm not sure why.   It might be that my thinking had to do with the idea of "a little is fine", or the way I watched the bees seemingly do nothing more than land on a blossom.  It seemed so effortless for them to do their work, but I know there's more to it than I can tell.

And by the same token, the woman needed nothing more than to touch Jesus' robe.  She didn't need His attention, or an eloquent, flowery prayer from Him.  She only needed proximity, and the slightest bit of contact.  Her little bit of reaching out was enough.

This might take some more pondering.  There might be a lot for me to learn from bees and trusting women of the Bible.  But I can think of nothing I'd rather do that sit under my apple tree, watching His creations do their thing, and thinking about Him.

~ " 'Be of good cheer, daughter;

     your faith has made you well.'

  And the woman was made well

   from that hour." ~

Matthew 9:22

~