Liquid Gold

 October 3, 2021

Yesterday was a perfect day for the task at hand…a sunny 68 degrees, no wind. Most of the girls were pretty calm, considering that I was invading their home and messing with their carefully constructed order. One of the colonies has the brood necessary to get through the winter, but not much honey and pollen; another has plenty of the latter, but none of the former. One colony looks to be queenless, but one was bursting with bees, brood, and honey.

I’m not in it to make money, so leaving them the reward of their labor isn’t a problem. I want to do everything I can to ensure the survival of the colonies. It is pleasing however, to see comb fully drawn out, filled, and capped over. I could barely lift one of the supers (boxes that hold the frames), so I know they’ll have plenty for winter, even after me robbing them of fifty pounds of honey. 

People who know a lot more than me would probably do better at managing these colonies. One that was going gangbusters in mid-summer is barely limping along today. I have lots to learn, and am eager to do so, which is a parable of my life. Having been a Christian since I was 12, one might think I know a few things about following Christ. I know a few, but there is so much more to learn, so much deeper to go. Along the way, I get to taste the sweetness of God’s grace and mercy, even while I keep learning and hopefully growing. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the one who trusts in him.” Tomorrow I’ll extract the honey and dip my spoon into its liquid gold; then I’ll learn a bit more about this craft I’m pursuing. I’ll do the same as I extract gold from the pages of God’s Word, and give thanks for both blessings.