The other day, as I was talking to my oldest, who recently turned10, she said,” It’s just too much to be the oldest at the church and at home. All I do seems to influence the life of the littles and I can’t just do this; it is HARD!”
As I sat there listening to her little heart and her eyes cloud with tears, I thought to myself, true, it is awfully hard to be the oldest; I did not say anything but sat silently looking intently at her with eyes of compassion and silently wondering what could I possibly offer!
Sticky situation
Well, if you know me, I am the youngest of two in my family, so I have no experience in this area. In addition to this, I have heard it many times from both my husband and my mom that being the oldest is hard and only the oldest can understand it!
As these thoughts raced through my mind, I knew there should be something I could say to help my precious little daughter, After what seemed like a long pause, I found myself telling her that she doesn’t have to be this perfect person for people to follow. As soon as these words went from my mouth, I knew exactly what she had to do!
The reality
Many times, we think that we need to be this perfect person, because people are watching and following us! However this puts on us such undue pressure; pressure to perform, pressure to match up to an ideal, pressure to be someone who we are not yet!
Creation to the rescue
Pollination
Recently, when we were studying Botany, we learnt that the bees helps in pollination. Pollination helps in fruit and seed making process which ultimately helps keep the life cycle of the plant going.
Furthermore, without pollination, the fruits and seeds are not produced. Again, if this continues, this will be the end of the fruit bearing trees as we know it. The movie ‘Bee Movie, explains this process very well.
The ‘aha’ moment!
Now you may ask, what does all this have to do with the solution to the problem my daughter was facing.
The answer is this- the bee is not concerned about what it is affecting, how it keeps the plants and trees alive, it does not look at how well it is pollinating, or what fruit or seed it is aiding to produce. In fact, all it is doing is going to the flowers to collect nectar!
Survival to life
So you see, the bee is simply going to the source, flowers, to make nectar, which is a part of its survival. In the process of its survival, it helps in keeping life going.
Practical Application
Presently, I reminded her of the bee and its life. Furthermore, I asked her what the job of the bee was. She replied saying that it was to make honey by collecting nectar. Quickly, I reminded her that the bee is not concerned about its job of pollinating; all its doing is trying to do its job of making honey.
A ray of hope
Almost Immediately, I saw a small smile return on that tender face of my child. And I knew she was beginning to see where I was heading.
We are called to do the right thing in the eyes of the Lord; the result is that the others around us are blessed. Although it may seem hard, living unto the Lord is much more simple than living to please others.
This little illustration and its explanation helped my little one see what I was trying to point out to her. She just needed to do what was expected of her by God – be kind in word and deed!
Hope for you and me
We all might be in different stages of life, but this truth still is the same. We need not live to please or set an example for others but Christian, you are called to live a life that is pleasing to God. Do what God has called you in the way that he has asked you to. The result is a life that is a blessing to the people around us. So let us strive to live a life that God has called us to and ‘Be the Bee.’
