“Two are better than one because they have a better return for their labor." ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9
Recently retired, Barbara finally
had the time to take on a problem that had worried her for some time – climate
change. Yet her
ambition stalled with piercing doubts: “Where to start? Will it really matter?”
The world’s greatest minds struggle for solutions.
Her
beekeeping friend, Francie, suggested that she look for inspiration from the simple
honeybee. “Thinking small may be the best way to think big,” she reasoned. “Almost
nothing beats watching their furry little bodies dance over the hive, filling
the air with a subtle honey fragrance.”
Turns
out, a bee in her lifetime makes only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey.
They don’t do it with reward in mind. Yet pollination ensures that future
generations will continue to thrive.
Perhaps that’s how
we can change the world - not by worrying about the size of our contributions but
by letting our efforts multiply the actions of others.
Watching Francie at
work, Barbara learned even more about bees… about being a better person.
Honeybees are
nature’s ultimate team players. They cooperate in everything, keeping the
common good of the hive as their priority. They are incredibly efficient,
wasting no time on anything other than living their purpose and contributing
where they are most capable.
Their relationships
are not acrimonious or competitive. If a job needs to be done, any available
bee will jump on it. That makes their community both wonderfully efficient and
harmonious in a way rarely seen in humans.
They continuously
evolve. If relocated from one region to another, they quickly scout the new
environment, communicate their findings, and get to work. They aren’t
discouraged by change and never stop learning.
Colonies have
queens, without bureaucracy or dictatorship. She performs her duties without
interfering with her subjects’ work. And although the bees depend on her, she
behaves as a servant to her hive.
Contrary to the
common belief that they work continuously, honeybees spend two-thirds of their
time doing nothing. With unwavering dedication and discipline, they work hard
but get plenty of rest and recharge.
What
treasures would God’s children be able to create if we worked together in love
- cooperative, dedicated, and efficient? The possibilities become endless.
Weeks later as
Barbara tended to her garden and new hives, she realized, “I am insignificant,
but my 1/12th of a teaspoon counts!” She marveled as her honeybees
blessed each flower they passed, appreciating each of them for the little
miracles they are.
Father, we come as broken people in need of
a Perfect Savior. We pray for harmony. May Your song of peace and love be the
song we come in agreement to sing, and may we keep our eyes and minds focused
on You. Amen
