Today, a parable for your consideration.
Charley and the Bee
One sunny spring morning, Charley hunted for bugs in his front yard while his mother worked in the flower beds. His search for wildlife had been quite successful, as he had already secured several interesting specimens in his blue bug bottle.
As he stalked through the clover, Charley noticed a particularly bright yellow and black bug buzzing from blossom to blossom. “Great!” thought Charley; “I don’t have one of those . . . .” As he swung his net down onto the bug, he suddenly remembered exactly what kind of bug this was. “A BEE,” said he.
Unfortunately, in his excitement, Charley more slapped than trapped the bee. The bee was not happy. With all of the resilience that God built into His creatures, the bee popped up from under the net and made a line straight for Charley’s face. “So that’s what ‘bee line’ means,” he thought as he turned to run.
Moved by the instinct common to any child, Charley ran straight for his mother. “Mom, a bee!” he shouted. As he ran up to her, she swept her long skirt over his head and held him still for a moment.
“Okay, Charley, you can come out now,” his mom said in a quiet voice.
“Mom, I’m not comin’ out ‘till that bee is gone.”
“You don’t have to worry about the bee anymore,” she answered. “He can’t sting you now.”
As Charley came back out, he searched high and low for signs of the bee. “What do you mean he can’t sting me now, Mom?”
“Look,” answered his mother as she moved her arm close enough for him to see. “See the stinger there,” said Mom. “A bee only has one, and his is now in me.”
If ever a child could feel guilty and glad at the same time, Charley did. “Does it hurt much, Mom?” he asked.
“Yes, Charley, it hurts. But it would hurt me even more to see you stung.”
“You’re the greatest, Mom,” said Charley proudly.
“No, Charley, but I do my best to be like the One who is.”
Tomorrow, the other side of the coin.
Grace and peace,
Ron
