Buzzards, Bats, Bumblebees & Eagles Part 3 Series

Buzzards, Bats, Bumblebees and Eagles

Are You Living Like The Bumblebee?

Scriptures: Luke 9:51-56; Acts 16:20-25

Introduction

As you may recall, I have shared with you previously about the buzzards and the bats. With all of their other capabilities, both have limitations that could threaten their existence in certain situations. This morning I had planned to focus on the bumblebee and the eagle, but there was too much information to do both so I will focus on the bumblebee and complete this series next week with the eagle.

I. The Bumblebee

I shared with you last week that I am not the biggest fan of "roughing it" in the outdoors. In the summer time I like air conditioning in a mosquito free environment. In the winter I love snow, rain and freezing weather as long as I have a warm place to "endure those hardships." Where some people get depressed in the winter, it does not bother me at all. There are many reasons to love the winter, but two of mine are these: no mosquitoes and no other flying insects that bite or sting. You’ve got to admit, those are some pretty convincing reasons to enjoy the winter, unless you like having bite marks and itching all the time – which I do not. So, let’s talk about the bumblebee.

Bumblebees only live during the autumn time of the year which means they have a very short life. Imagine yourself on a nice fall afternoon, minding your own business, on your own deck, at your own home in your own yard. You’re not bothering anyone, just relaxing. All of a sudden you hear this vibrating noise and you look up to see a bumblebee flying near you. What do you do? Well if you’re one of those nature lovers, you’d look at the bumblebee and admire how it flies, amazed at its beauty. You would not be scared because you understood them. Now if you’re not a nature lover, you’d also look at the bumblebee while assessing your getaway points. The point would be to give the bee plenty of room to ensure you do not get stung. I always assumed that bees were vicious and would attack if given the chance (and some bees are) but not the bumblebee. The first thing I want you to know about the bumblebee is that many species of this bee are very docile and unaggressive. These bees are very submissive and passive. They generally will not attack you unless you have made the unfortunate mistake of disturbing their nest. When their nests are disturbed, these bees will turn very vicious. They will attack in mass anything or anyone who disturbs their nest. When everything is going fine, they will live and let live, not bothering anyone.

Another fact that I learned recently about the bumblebee is that they are a flying miracle. The wing size and the body size do not match, yet they are still able to fly. Just keep that in mind for later.

The last fact about bumblebees has to do with how they respond to being placed in a drinking glass. As with the buzzard (being placed in a 6x8 feet pen) and the bat (when placed on a level surface) faces life threatening situations because of their own abilities, so we find something similar with the bumblebee. If you drop a bumblebee into a normal drinking glass it will stay there until it dies. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some other way out through the sides or near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself. Can you imagine watching a bumblebee fly endlessly around a glass trying to find a way out only to die from exhaustion because it failed to look up? Although the way out does not exist where the bee is looking, it will keep searching. Remember one definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. I think the bumblebee in this situation comes close.

II. People Are Like Bumblebees

People go through seasons throughout their lifetime. There are times when we are in one of our seasons when we are fully alive and there are times when we have seasons that make us feel as if we are dead. The bumblebee has a short lifespan in that it is alive and active primarily during the autumn time of year. Many people come alive during certain times of the year – their seasons. For example, it is a known fact that the rate of depression increases during the winter time. Why? Because it is cold and dreary outside and you do not have a lot of motivation to be active. The sun is farthest away from the earth so you do not get the same effect from being out in it. If you get depressed during the winter, then that time of year is not your season. In the natural, as in the spiritual, you should understand your seasons so that you can be aware of what you are going through. Sometimes it is difficult spiritually to get moving, but during some seasons you need to know when you need a break to refuel and when you need to stand strong and move forward. It’s all about the seasons.