“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good…” Genesis 1:31

Beautiful Bees

This verse reminded me that all God made had purpose and was intended for blessing. Indeed, it was very good. Creation testifies to His wisdom and beauty. Nature is an amazing witness.

My sister has recently taken up bee keeping. She has two hives out in the woods behind her home. It was a constant source of entertainment watching them coming and going from the hive. One afternoon we watched an orientation flight that appeared to me, the unlearned, as a choreographed skyward dance into the heavens.

Bees have a brain the size of a sesame seed. Despite that limited intellect, they live bountifully in a highly organized and efficient society. Each bee knows its role and diligently fulfills its purpose supplying what the hive needs.

When a worker bee is birthed, it immediately turns to clean out its own cell and then goes on to clean other cells around it. As the bee continues to mature, it turns to feeding and attending the larvae or possibly the queen bee. After that stage, its task is to build honeycomb. The last stage of the bee’s life is leaving the hive to forage.

No one bee trained another bee for the tasks needed. No one told them when to cease one task and begin another. No one designated the day it would leave the hive. Yet it all works together in one seamless cycle for the benefit of all.

I saw God’s handiwork in these small creatures. Bees inherently know how to be bees. It is not by might or intellect, but by God’s design. Oh, that I would allow God to have His way so wholeheartedly in me. Then I would be all that He intended. I would know by His Spirit those things I should be doing at any given stage of my life. Let my work be to the benefit of others and to God’s glory.

A simple bee teaches me profound lessons.

Father, Your creation is amazing. You testify in the towering mountains, the vast expanse of the seas, the stars of highest heaven, and in the life of a common honeybee. And if these speak of Your glory, so will I. Amen.