Another lesson from the hive: robbers

I watched the other day as a large ant tried to get into the entrance of our beehive. A bee stationed as a guard grabbed the ant (almost as big as she was) wrapped herself around it and rolled off the platform into the grass. A second later, she flew back to the entrance.

No ant.

There’s a danger in beekeeping known as robbing, where a bee, not of that particular hive, (like the ant) forces its way into the hive to rob the hive of its honey.

This is a major issue for beekeepers; the bees have worked so diligently to store the sweetest of food which will feed them through the long winter when they most need it.

And suddenly a bee from another hive comes along to steal it - that’s just wrong!

Yet we, too, face robbers in our own lives…

When we’ve worked hard to make wise choices or stopped bad habits or incorporated positive, life-building practices into our days, a deceiver comes along to strip us of all that we’ve labored for. What can we do?

The bees are teaching me this: fight back.

Bees attack the robber, doing everything in their power to get rid of the betraying menace and safeguard the good they’ve been working on all summer.

They protect and defend the hive.

And we must do the same in our lives.

The enemy is always trying to rob us of our contentment, our joy. He wants to create chaos, not peace. He loves division and wants to rip away kindness. He plots to steal our love for God and others.

But we can’t let that happen, because goodness is in such short supply nowadays and the world is counting on us to protect it. To share our love. To extend kindness. To promote peace. To keep the good from being stolen.

So the next time the world tries to rob you of a good thing in your life, fight back and don’t let the robber win. Ask God for help, and use the armor He’s given:

Stand firm then,

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,

with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this,

take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV

This armor will protect what is right and good and true, with prayer as perhaps your greatest weapon.

Stand firm.

And with confidence say: No more robbing!

Today is a GOOD day!

~Natalie