I was recently talking to friend about beekeeping and how much honey he had harvested over the weekend. I used to keep bees and I loved the thrill of checking in on them to make sure they were healthy and making honey. I was very cautious when I was around my hives. I always wore my mask that covered my head, gloves, long sleeved pants and shirt. This would reduce your chances of getting stung, something that I hated to experience. I also used an instrument called a, “smoker,” that created smoke that you would puff out on the bees. The smoke would make the bees think a fire was close by, causing them to eat some honey and leave so you could take the honey. When I was growing up, we called it, “robbing bees,” but now they call it, “harvesting honey”. Either way you wind up with the honey. Come to think of it, if you blew smoke in my face I would leave too.
Back to the story. One day I was robbing my bees and something unexpected happened. I was fully dressed in my gear and smoking the bees so they would calm down and leave. Somehow one of the bees found his way inside my mask and was flying around my face. I remained calm because I knew I was going to get stung around my eyes or nose. However, for some odd reason the bee never stung, she just hung around my eyes in hopes of making me leave the honey. It was then I received a great idea: if smoke makes them leave the area, what if I smoked my face and the bee might just calm down and not sting me? I figured I could hold my breath longer than the bee could hold its breath. I smoked myself from every angle around my face until my eyes and nose watered. I decided not to inhale. I’m not sure if the bee experienced watery eyes, but I knew I had to remain calm and not panic during a bad situation, regardless of the outcome.
One important feature about being a disciple of Jesus Christ is how to respond when life makes us panic. Anybody can be calm when things are going great, but what happens when we face something bad and unexpected? Is it possible to react to a situation and make it worse than the original problem? Yes it is possible, but it is also possible to decide to have a biblical approach to life when life gets challenging. How do your respond when someone is hurtful to you? 1 Thessalonians 5:15 says, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.” Be sure to choose the action that brings goodness to someone instead of harm. It is easier to do the right thing when you walk daily with Christ and are willing to choose goodness over evil. We should not need a puff of smoke in the face to remind us to do what is right!
Remember, it’s His way and your day. Make the most of it!
