Honey

 July 1, 2021

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

—Psalm 119:103 

Today I processed some honeycomb from the colony I cut out from an attic a few weeks ago. I drained and strained the honey two weeks ago, but the cappings and old comb just sat in the garage till I had time to deal with them. On the way home from the credit union this morning, I took Ron a cup of coffee. We had chatted awhile when I spotted an old aluminum pot that he sold me for a couple dollars—just the right size for the bag of cappings. I poured in some water, dumped in the cappings, and set them on the hot plate. Half an hour later, it was all melted, but mixed with dead bees and larvae, a sticky mess that needed to be strained through a cheesecloth which I didn’t have. I did have a cloth sleeve I bought some ten years ago to wrap around some drainage tile I laid in our backyard in Cassadaga. It worked perfectly, if somewhat messily.

Rendering beeswax can be somewhat tedious and is always messy. The same is true for the honey itself. The hive needs to be opened, much to the bees’ dismay. They don’t like me breaking into their home, robbing and rearranging things any more than we would if someone did it to us. They can become a bit agitated. Even with protective gear, getting stung is often part of the process. 

Once the hive is opened, the comb must be removed and the honey either spun out in what looks like a big centrifuge, or the entire comb is cut out and crushed. Any way you look at it, it’s a bit of work—all just to be able to enjoy the delicate sweetness of the honey.

So often when we read the Bible, we expect great truths to jump out at us, gracing us with insight, wisdom, and spiritual power as we glance through its pages hurriedly. Most of us seldom sit long enough to puzzle and ponder over the text, asking questions of it and allowing it to do the same to us. But just as honey doesn’t just effortlessly drip onto our toast, but requires labor and messiness for us to enjoy it, so the sweetest Scriptural blessings come only to those willing to accept its stings, willing to labor tirelessly till we hold it unadulterated, clear, and sweet to the taste. It’s never easy, but like the honey I’ll enjoy in the morning, it’s Oh so worth it!