Balancing the "Bee"

While gardening this past week, I could not help but notice the numerous bees amongst the blooms in my flower beds. After my last blog, it seemed natural for me to take note of their behavior. I studied them closely to see if I caught them at rest, since I alleged last week that they were never still. What I observed in my garden taught me new lessons about my walk with God.

The bees buzzed purposefully around the blossoming plants. It appeared that although busy, their business was at all times on task and with purpose. Amazingly, they did not waste time as they went about collecting their pollen, but went in an order, from one bloom to the next closest bloom, and only to blooms that were worthy of visiting. They ordered their day. God calls us to "make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom." (Ps. 90:12 NLT) If only we would “bee” so wise, as we go about ordering our days. Secondly, I realized that the bees did appear to rest for a few moments, but it was purposeful resting. They rested ever so slightly as they landed upon each bloom. As I mentioned, the bees chose only blossoms that were worth visiting, those ready for harvesting, and those able to nourish the bee, meet its needs and help it in its work. When we stop, do we carefully consider where and with whom we are stopping? We might learn from these busy workers that we should land in a place that will benefit our God-given purpose, and we should stop and rest only long enough to meet our need and then continue along our way. If we rest longer than necessary, God's assignments are at risk of being ignored, put off, or missed altogether. Work is not getting done. So, while He desires us to “bee” still, we might do well to remember that God calls us to be still for a purpose. When the purpose is for resting our bodies, then when we are sufficiently rested, we should arise and work. When the purpose is to meet a need, such as to eat or to love another, we should fulfill it and then proceed to the next point on our journey. If the purpose is to worship, to pray, or simply to hear from Him, we should focus our minds on our Lord, refraining from daydreaming, creating mental “to do” lists, and contemplating the temporal, and then respond to His word in immediate obedience.

One challenge I face, and I feel certain I am not alone, is the challenge of balance in life. I tend to live at one extreme or the other, either working without ceasing, or ceasing without working. Each day is a gift of time that we are to use. I am currently reading Max Lucado’s new book, Every Day Deserves a Chance. In it he states, “An hour is too short, a year too long. Days are the bite-size portions of life, the God-designed segments of life management. A complete rotation of the earth. Both a sunrise and a sunset.” Each day is a perfectly designed, perfectly orchestrated, perfectly timed opportunity and gift from our great God. So during each unique segment of life we call a day, my goal from henceforth is to better balance the ceasing with the working. God built me in such a way to require me to rest my body physically. He also built me to rest spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. But God also created me to fulfill a unique purpose to which I am called. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 NASB) Walk in them. Not rest in them. Therefore, I must also utilize each day to complete my assigned work.

Finally, I noted that the bees’ buzzing presence diminished as the morning turned to noonday. But the last lesson is found in their morning activity. We all know bees make honey. But for these particular bees, and maybe only for the ones God sent in my yard that day, their morning work was not the making of honey. It was about getting ready to make honey. It was all about preparation. They rested long enough to gather what was necessary to head off to their workplace. Do we rest long enough in the morning to be still and gather the instructions, the tools, and the spiritual nourishment before getting busy on our work? Do we take time to be still, even for the slightest moment, and ready ourselves for each day by spending time with God, the Giver, the Provider and the Source of all we need?

I guess I’m refreshed in a way, realizing that buzzing about like a busy bee isn’t totally out of God’s will for my life, as long as I take purposeful rests as God ordains them. These rests allow me to successfully complete the work that He calls me to do. While too much rest results in my not getting His work done completely, too much work results in my failing to get His work done successfully, for it would likely be done apart from His voice of direction and His supernatural power, both best accessed first thing each morning. To complete our assigned daily work and to do it in a way that honors Him requires first resting, then receiving, and finally responding to His marching orders, which most likely will include making a little honey sometime during the day.

Learning "To Be"

It may sound strange to some that I would spend my time learning something so simple as "to be." But I contend that in my generation, we do not focus enough energy on learning what our Father requires of our "being." We are focused so much on "doing," that we do not take time to think about our "being." Our being is wrapped up in our doing, rather than our doing stemming from our being with God and being who He desires us to be.

As a former principal, I was known to my school community as "Mrs. B." The bumblebee was a symbol of mine, with many scattered throughout my office and finding their way into many a correspondence. The bee represents doing the impossible, for science would argue that its wings are too small to support its overstuffed body. However, it flies anyway! It was a sign of inspiration and motivation for me, a starting point for conversation with struggling students, and a reminder to me that I can do the impossible tasks of the job if I will continue to "bee-lieve" that with God, all things are possible.

I am realizing now that the bee also symbolized busyness. How often do you see a bee rest? It is always buzzing about, gathering pollen or making honey. It is always at work. While there is blessing in productivity, there is also the call for us simply "to be." God calls us first "to be" in a relationship with Him through His son Jesus. Although this is a one-time event when we choose to enter into this relationship, it is also an ongoing priority to grow in intimacy with Him. This requires our taking time to be with Him. He calls us to be obedient. This obedience includes his command to "be still" and know that He is God. We must slow down our lives in order to be still with our Lord. It is in the still, quiet, resting place of His open, loving arms that we connect with Him and hear from Him.

His Word teaches us much about what we are "to be." Some of our being has to do with our interacting and serving others. We tend to be better at these outward acts of being, such as being kind and generous, than the inner condition of being in our heart. We are to be humble before Him, be worshipful of Him, be surrendered to Him, be dependent on Him, and be present with Him. He wants our hearts to be peaceful, teachable and prayerful. Our world rewards the doers, the movers and the shakers, the performers and the achievers. But our God has greater rewards for those whose "doing" is a result of their "being" who He calls them to be. Take time today just "to be."