Bee Rescue

Over the weekend I rescued a bee—sort of.

Our above ground swimming pool measures 18 feet across and four feet deep.

This honey bee struggled in the water far from the edge. Since bees stand scarcely ¼ inch tall, he was in far above his head. And since water clung to his body, he weighted too much to fly to safety.

Being a compassionate man, I moved to rescue the drowning insect. I cupped my hands under the water to scoop him out.

Dumb bug must have thought I was a bee-eating fish rising beneath him because he flailed away from my hands.

Do I look like a trout?

Again and again I scooped. Again and again, he evaded.

I felt tempted to let the bug drown.

The pool filter would get his body later.

But I preserved.

Finally, in a handful of water, I lifted the bee out of the depths and tossed him over the side to dry out and fly away.

Slight problem.

After a bit I peeked over the edge of the pool to see how my bee was drying out. He wasn’t.

A large spider stretched a web between the metal pool wall and a plant stalk; when I dropped the bee over the edge of the pool, I’d dropped him right into the spider web.

Mr. Spider, with due thankfulness I’m sure, was busy wrapping my bee up in a bundle for a feast.

And the last state of the bee was worse than the first.

I’m not much of a savior.

The situation reminded me of that Scripture which says that because of His resurrection, Jesus, “is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him”.

Although we attempt to struggle away and evade His cupped, nail-scared hands, He persists in offering us salvation.

Yes, salvation is scary.

Yes, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

He’s big.

But Jesus is not a trout.

And He never drops us into some evil web.