Bees and Apple Trees
SPEND YOUR TIME THINKING ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE TRUE, RIGHT, PURE, AND ADMIRABLE.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Philippians 4:8-9.
Verse of the Day: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV).
Lydia walked with her Uncle Pete to the orchard. Uncle Pete and Aunt Mary lived on a farm. Everybody said their apple trees bore the best apples in the area.
“I wish I could be as smart as you, Uncle Pete,” Lydia said.
“What makes you say that?” Uncle Pete asked. They walked side by side through the lines of apple trees toward a line of white boxes on the other side of the orchard.
“Well, it’s like you know right and wrong better than anybody I know. You always know the right thing to say, or the right thing to do-stuff like that.”
Uncle Pete nodded. “I see,” he said. He stopped walking and knelt beside one of the white boxes and put his hand on the lid. “Lydia,” he said, “do you know what this is?”
Lydia looked at the white box. She nodded. Inside was a beehive. Uncle Pete and Aunt Mary took care of the beehives, and the bees fertilized their apple trees.
“Do you know how these bees get the pollen that fertilizes all those apple trees?” he asked, waving his hand toward the orchard. Lydia shook her head. “They fly from flower to flower. And as they land on a flower, the pollen sticks to their hind legs. Now, if they just flitted around, touching a flower here and there, it wouldn’t do my apple trees any good. But they land on the flower and stay there for a while, sucking nectar into their mouths. All the while, the hairs on their legs are collecting pollen.”
“Cool!” Lydia said.
Uncle Pete smiled. “It’s the same way with learning right from wrong, Lydia,” he said. “Things stick to us kind of like they stick to bees. If we spend our time thinking about true and noble and right things, those things will stick with us and help us when we face a choice between right and wrong. But what do you think will happen if we just read our Bible on Sundays or think about God every once in a while?”
“It won’t stick with us!” Lydia answered.
Uncle Pete nodded. “Or worse, if we spend our time watching violence or thinking impure thoughts, it will be those things that stick with us.”
“I’d rather have good things stick to my hairy legs!” Lydia said.
Uncle Pete broke into uncontrollable laughter. “Now, don’t go telling your Aunt Mary that I said you have hairy legs,” he said. “I never said any such thing!”
TO DO: Go around the table and have everyone name something right, noble, pure, lovely, or admirable.
TO PRAY: “Lord God, turn our thoughts often to you and your nature, and help us to dwell on good thoughts and right actions.”