Honey daydreams & lessons from the hive.

I took my coffee out on the deck early this morning.

Temperatures this afternoon are supposed to be sweltering. Best to get out before the heat and humidity saunter in.

I love this time before the world wakes.

The day is quiet.

Ribbons of cool air weave their way into morning. Leftovers from the still and starry night before.

The sun has not yet risen over the tree row.

Sleepy birds stir in branches of leafy green.

Squirrels chatter and chase.

The hummingbirds have been up since daybreak.

They vie for time at the feeders like tiny fencers. Wielding their beaks ~ petite sabres. Zipping and lunging at one other in the air. A skilled feat of flight.

Gently a breeze blows, carrying the sweet fragrance of  basswood blossoms. Branches heavy laden with small bell-shaped clusters dangling overhead.

The color of creamsicles.

Honeybees visit these lovely florets. Hanging like little acrobats from the delicate pastel blooms. Their fragile legs weighted with a powdery golden goodness. Carrying pollen back to the hive.

Others spend their time sipping slowly.

Drinking in the nectar. 

Psalm 143: 8 

Let the morning bring me word Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You.  Show me the ways I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

As the nectar sustains the bee, it also sustains the hive.

It is not every bee for herself in a colony. Quite the contrary. The hive functions as a tightly-woven community. An organism of sorts.

Nectar that is brought back to the hive is not for dining alone at the forager’s table.

It is surrendered for the survival of the entire colony.

Depending upon the current need, nectar may be used to feed a nurse bee, caring for the queen and the next generation of brood.

The nectar may become food for guard and worker bees.

It might be stored in the corners of the honeycomb. Provisions for a rainy day when foraging isn’t possible.

In late summer, much of the nectar that remains is turned into honey.

Truly an incredible process.

The bees in the hive set to work using their wings, fanning the nectar to remove any excess water. Not until the liquid has reached the appropriate viscosity is it truly transformed.

Sticky sweet. Nature’s treasure.

Honey.

Food for overwintering in the long, cold months ahead.

If it has been a productive year, we beekeepers can enjoy a harvest for friends and family. We carefully collect the honey and pour it into small glass jars.

With love.

A sweet sharing.  

Flower nectar is to the bees, as God’s Word is to us.

Scripture nourishes us.

It sustains us.

And like the honeybee, we too have to forage. We have to take time out of our day to seek Christ. And there’s no better place to look than in the Bible.

To collect a verse.

To ponder a chapter.

We were created to desire the taste of Scripture. This sweetness of the wisdom found only in the Word. This sustenance for the soul.

To drink in His promises.

And to carry His grace back home.

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It’s good to have the bees back again this year.

We have two hives. One is painted the color of lemon chiffon. The other of faded lavender blossoms. Paled after days spent in the radiant summer sun.

Both hives are facing east. 

Not by happenstance, but by plan.

You see, when the early morning light peeks up over the horizon, it shines directly into the one-inch-high opening that is the entrance to the hive.

The glow and warmth rouse the tiny residents. Encouraging them to get out and forage early so that they can be more productive. More efficient.

Then they can be of greater service to the hive. 

…

I believe that it is the same for us.

Starting a day with the Word is so different than what I used to do ~ climbing out of bed feeling overwhelmed at the prospects of the day. Sighing as I glanced at the list of things that needed to be accomplished.

But…

choosing to start my day in the Bible, I have to slow down.

I have to be present.

I have look outside myself and toward our Creator.

When I wake early to spend time diving into Scripture, I begin my day from a spiritually nourished place rather than a place of perceived lack.

With my heart pointed in the direction of the Cross, I begin to anticipate abundance. Goodness that the Lord has planned for me in the day ahead. Not my own plans for productivity.

Like the honeybee carrying nectar back to the hive, being in the Word allows me to bring a little bit of His grace with me into my day. 

Back to my community.

Depending upon the need, it may look like words of encouragement to a mom who is struggling to deal with the reality of life ~ her child facing illness or disability.

Perhaps it is being present to offer a listening ear to my Sweet Louise who is trudging through the transitions of adolescence.

Some days it is looking into the saddened eyes of a stranger and asking if they are OK. Reaching out a heart or hand to help.

That is the nectar.

What happens next is truly amazing. This is the process by which God makes manifest His glory. 

He takes our humble usherings of grace and does the extraordinary!

When that word of encouragement brings comfort to a weary mother’s heart and she is able to see her life differently that day. A day that turns into a thousand others until the morning she wakes to suddenly see her journey as a gift.

When that listening ear is what she was longing for. My darling daughter didn’t need a fix. She needed open arms of acceptance and quiet grace. A grace that she can hold in her heart and extend to a friend when the time is right.

When that stranger is a homeless man that has for so long felt invisible in this world. Suddenly his heart is touched and he is truly seen by another human being. Recognized as a brother. Another beautiful child of God.

This is the honey!

This is the story of the Cross. The purpose of the Resurrection. God’s triumph over death. And the beauty of His grace.

That we might gather nectar in His Word and bring back the Good News to those around us! 

To be His hands and feet.

In our little corners of the world. 

To share the stories of the the wonders He has done in our own lives.

Mark 5:19

Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.”

Honey.

There are so many ways to enjoy it.

Delicious when spread over melted butter on a slice of warm toast.

Perfect for cutting the bitterness when stirred into a tall glass of iced-tea.

A delightful way to sweeten a homemade berry jam.

And there are so many things that God can do with our surrender. Infinite blessings to bloom from our choice to walk with Jesus.

To walk away from the world for awhile and to sit in the silence with Him.

The transformation of our nectar into honey journey can be seen in the golden bliss of redemption.

It can be tasted in the sweetness of freedom in His arms.

And it pours out in the treasures of His Mercy. 

Just like the joyful flight of the honeybee, may we learn to begin our days pointed in the right direction.

Seeking nectar.

Our faces warm in the Light of the Son.