Taking The Sting

I heard a story in a sermon a while ago that I was thinking about as I have started reading The Secret Life of  Bees. The story (I think this is how it goes) is not related to the book, other than the related theme of bees.

(I've been on a bit of a story kick as of late- I hope you're enjoying it and gleaning something from it.)

A little girl and her mother were camping. When they had settled in for the night, double zipped the tent and began to prepare to go to bed, the little girl noticed a big bee flying around. She screamed, and began running flailing around the tent. The mother, afraid of bees, began to panic too. That made the situation worse, as they could no longer see the bee. Then, the mother noticed the bee coming toward the daughter. She stuck her hand up to stop it. The bee hit it, and continued to fly, but the mother settled down. The daughter said "Mom, do something!" But the mother held up her hand, and showed the daughter the bee's stinger stuck in her palm. She said "It's okay- the bee can't harm you- don't be afraid, I've taken the sting."

Today, that's what God says to us. "It's okay- I've taken the sting"

The point of my stories in the last few posts have been this: Rest assured, God is in control. And because he is in control, you have nothing to worry about.


Let me repeat that. God is in control, and you have nothing to worry about.


Sometimes, the bees of life are buzzing all around us. I don't know how many of you have worked around bees, but they are pesky. They are loud, they are annoying, and they carry a threat of a sting with them. I'll never forget the time I had spent sometime outdoors, I came in, and Mom said, "WHAT IS ON YOUR NECK" I wiped it, she screamed, and away flew a bee. It never stung me, but I'm sure if I let it linger any longer on my neck, it would have. Then, panic erupted amid the house as we tried to swat it and get it back outside.

Panic and disarray fill our lives when we've got the "bees" flying around.

Sinful habits, pain, hurt, disappointment, anger, bitterness, resentment, and anguish are a swarm of bees that can follow us around.

And they carry the sting of fear and turmoil. They can cause us a lot of pain.

But my friends, today, God sticks His hand up and says, "Do not be afraid- I've taken the sting."

1 Corinthians 5:55 says, "Where o death is thy victory, where o grave is thy sting?"

Because Jesus suffered, died, rose again, and will soon come again, we can say with Paul, "Where is your sting?" Jesus conquered sin, death, devil, hurt, pain, sorrow, hardship when He died and rose again.

Don't let the bees in life that can sometimes be violently swarming around harm you- God will always stick His hand up and take the sting.

The bees will be there- life is not without hardship. But they aren't going to harm us. They can threaten, they can scare, they can taunt, (and they will), but God always sticks His hands up and takes the sting.

You want proof? Look to the risen Savior. Hear how he encourages Thomas in John 20:27 to touch His side. The wounds from the nails that hung Him on the cross are there. He took the sting, and the sting can never harm us again.

Blessings:
-Worked at Rib Night last night- and I got to eat too- we had sliced cucumbers in a vinaigrette, garlic bread, ribs, sauce, and sweet corn. It was fantastic!

-Last night my tip jar burst because there are so many dollar bills in it!  A few more weeks and I can cash it in!

-I got to go to work at 7:30 this morning, it was good practice for getting up early in the fall.

-I got to socialize a lot with people all day

-Played a successful service tonight

-Going to watch Rio the movie tonight.

-New smoothie concoction made tonight!

-Started a new book today! It was great!

-I made this guy laugh to the point of tears after church because of all the cracks I was making to him. In turn, I laughed hard, which made him laugh harder, and then me laugh harder. I love those moments!