Sunday, December 26, 2010

The Bee

One of my favourite presents that my husband has ever given to me, he gave me this year. He gave me a beautiful silver ring with intricate open scroll work on the band and sides and an embossed bee on the top. The bee symbol is very important to me and my sweetheart knows this. Years ago, when we took on our first pastorate, he gave me a gorgous bee brooch to commerate the occasion. I wore it for years until it broke apart and couldn't be fixed. I've wanted a bee of some sort ever since.

The bee symbolizes hard work, creativity, diligence and eloquence. To be considered 'busy as a bee' is a good thing. A bee works hard, they are always doing something. They are never lazy, just sitting around. They are creative as anyone who has found a bee hive in an unusual place will attest. They provide not only for their own 'families' but consequently for ours as well in the form of honey and beeswax. I love watching the bees in my garden going from flower to flower, constantly collecting nectar and pollen until their 'saddlebags' on the sides of their legs are heavy and swollen. Sometimes they can barely fly they are so full but they do, returning to the hive to deposit their treasure and heading right back out again to begin the process all over again.

In the Bible we are told of Deborah, a woman who was a leader of Israel for many years. Deborah was a wife and mother, as well as a consultant to military generals. Deborah was a prophetess and the fourth, and the only female, Judge of  Israel in the Old Testament. She was known as a strong, independant woman who was respected for her wisdom.  It's no coincidence that the name Deborah means 'the bee'.

We are all familiar with the Proverbs 31 woman and many of us strive to be like her, but I think the Bible is full of examples of strong, hard working women who could be called 'bees' and use the bee as their personal symbol. My husband is an awesome man who is not threatened by having a 'woman with an opinion' by his side. He is my helpmate and I am his. I want to work hard beside him and wearing a bee as my symbol reminds me of that.

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