Absconded Bees & Arrested Depression

 Running a small sort of farm type home is not always glamorous. Okay, it is never glamorous but I suppose one has romantic notions of a quiet little homestead with cheery chickens clucking happily along, delightful ducks waddling about as you harvest bountiful veggies from your quaint little garden. Where do those ideas come from? Probably flea market paintings. 

 The chickens usually peck my plants to death, squawk loudly, and bully chickens on the low end of the pecking order. The ducks have gone feral trying to protect their pond. I am sure the male duck was trying to drown the dog the other day. Yeh, this ain't no Pollyanna farm and wearing rubber boots ain't for fashion. We got zucchini by the truckloads though. 

 Sadly, our adventure in beekeeping has ended for this year. After the colony lost their first queen, I quickly ordered another but the colony was weak. They did accept the new queen but wild bees started robbing the hive. Two days after moving the hive, the wild bees started robbing it more aggressively, this time killing the new queen. Wasps even got in on the action. After a week, they had won. Without the queen, no honey, and very few workers it was doomed. The lesson we learned is start with more than one hive. Poor bees.

 Along the lines of failing, I have a confession that is ironic since it comes after a post about not complaining. It is completely unpleasant but I am going to confess it because some believers think no one else struggles like they do and they try to hide issues. So, just so you know, some of us are super foolish in our discouragement but there is always hope.

 On Sunday last week, I was depressed. Really depressed. On the verge of tears, I dressed for church then I prayed but not a good prayer mind you; a desperate, wallowing one. It felt like everything was failing...oh yes, I went there. I begged and specifically asked, "God, will you just take me out of this world?" Then I put on my fake I'm-okay-face and went to church. 

 During the hour of sitting in the pew, God answered me from the pulpit and I snuffled and sobbed the whole time. At the end, I quickly packed my stuff so as to slide out the door but a friend popped into the seat next to me. When she saw my face, which probably looked like a rendition of Tammy Faye, she said, "Oh...I'm sorry. You probably wanted to get out of here quick.That was a good sermon." Sigh. She had no idea.

  Ephesians 6:12-13 really did a number reminding me that this world is not all there is affecting us. We are to be set on the eternal, not the temporal. We are to be set in the armor of God and resisting the enemy. 

 Oh, thank you pastor for expositing those verses and bringing to my mind the knowledge that my struggle is not against people or things in this world. Thank you for imploring me to ask myself if the spiritual world is seeing the manifold wisdom of God. My depression ceased right there and the day was much more focused on exalting Christ. 

  May Ephesians 6:12-13 ground you if you are feeling hopeless:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in highplaces. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

Busy as can Bee

 Settling into our warm weather routine is always interesting. Three years of living in the country has been eye-opening. The first time we heard coyotes congregating together was creepy. Our first year here, we encountered a plague of frogs and toads. You could not walk at night because you would most assuredly squish one. After that came the invasion of some tiny beetle-like bug that only came out at night. Last year was an ambush of horseflies. My husband never went outside without a tennis racket and I just avoided going outdoors as much as possible. This year is really exciting - snakes! 

Cottonmouth, Tennessee (Photo credit: TomSpinker)

 We rarely see snakes and usually only if we look down in the creek but now they are out flaunting their snake-iness and taunting us at every turn. I almost stepped on one because it was out in the middle of a widely used area looking much like a stick. And, it was no mere snake, it was a Cottonmouth. This became obvious when I was just a foot away. My dog ran in front of me, the snake raised its head and  then displayed its cottony white mouth. I do not know what I said but my husband and son ran over with large logs and threw them on top of the menacing critter. All my natural medicine studies on first aid are not something I really want to put into practice, especially on myself and doubly so, with a venomous snake bite. 


 With that crisis averted, I continued on to my original mission - checking on the bees. Yes, we finally have bees, Carniolans to be exact. They are really amazing. My husband and I put them into the hive and it was intimidating but they really are a gentle kind of bee. I love them. They waste no time. As soon as they were dumped into the hive, they set to work. The few bees that did not survive the journey and the dumping, were promptly drug out of the hive. Any strange insect or bee that tried to invade were met by the guard bees. In a few days we will check on them and make sure the queen is doing her job. 

 Such order and organization, reminds me how important our role is as wives and mothers in light of what God has called us to do. The topic is one that is absolutely rejected by the world. Women love to look at staying home as drudgery  and it is a sacrifice but not one without blessing and joy...if you know Christ. In a Christian home, if the husband is truly fulfilling his role by loving his wife as Christ loved the church then they really carry the heavier burden. It is not always easy to willingly submit ourselves to a husband's authority, there is no doubt about that. Of course I want my way but there is no room to be one if I want my way and he wants his way. When you both fall into your God-prescribed roles, you both put your ways aside and Christ fills you with His way. 

 If you are living with a spouse that does not follow the Lord, you still have a responsibility to lay aside your flesh. It can be challenging but, nonetheless, you are required to do what God calls you to do and He is faithful to give you the strength to carry out your responsibility. If you deny that or whine that you cannot do it, you reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Excuses do not exist that justify slacking in your role, nagging, or cutting off from your husband physically or emotionally. Press on, find joy, and trust God. 

 That was a little necessary ministering to myself. Now I must get back to my responsibilities so I can produce sweet honey in my home. Today's agenda: clean up my husband's office since we moved it to a new room.