Good Intentions

May 17, 2021

Good intentions aren’t enough. Working with my bees today, I attempted a split. When a colony gets too crowded, it will swarm, meaning they begin raising a new queen, and the old queen leaves with about half the bees, looking for a new home. If by inspection it appears the colony is getting ready to swarm, splitting a colony can be in order. Taking frames of brood and either eggs less than three days old or a queen cell getting ready to hatch, and placing them in a new hive mimics the effects of a swarm without the potential loss of the colony. 

The problem is, I’ve never done this before, and after attempting it, I did a little research and fear I may have made a huge mistake in the details of what needs to be done. It’s not the end of the world; the worst that could happen would be the loss of a few thousand bees, but the lesson is pretty clear. We live in a culture that believes in multiple realities—“what is true for me may not be true for you.” Everything is subjective and the worst possible sin is being judgmental. But my bees tell me a different story. The survival of the colony is not subjective; they live by quite specific, although unspoken, rules. Their combs are built so there is precisely 3/8” space between them; any less and two bees cannot pass, any more, and they build bridge comb to fill the space. There is a specific gestation period from the time the egg is laid till the bee emerges from the cell. And if as a beekeeper I violate the law of the bees, we both pay the price.

The same is true in life. It’s not enough to try hard; I must make the right choices if life is to have any meaning and purpose. I’ve observed people who mean well in their attempt to correct another or build a successful business or marriage, but their good intentions don’t outweigh what are often very poor decisions. I’ve found that doing it right comes from building life upon the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and his Word. 

My bees will let me know soon enough if I messed up. The Holy Spirit will do the same, so I’m not trusting in mere good intentions. I choose instead to follow the Book.