Don't "fear the bees"

As I was studying tonight, I was reading a journal that Tracy kept while we were in Africa. I came across a quote that I had to share. It was from an entry on August 3rd, 2002. We were working in the village of Habre. We were scheduled to have baptism there but due to a funeral (the largest event in their culture) almost everyone was gone. There were a few people there, however, and we went ahead and held a Bible study with about 15 people. We told the story of Stephen and stressed the need to stand for God, even if others want to kill you. One of the men in Habre who felt called to be a pastor really seemed to grasp the concept. He said, "If you want to eat the honey then don't fear the bees." I was thinking about that statement, particularly in light of the persecution that the Dagara believers faced and I thought again about how his statement was not an empty one. Then I thought about our own lives and our own approach to the gospel and I wonder how many of us "fear the bees"? Beyond that, what are the "bees" that we fear? Finally, don't you think if we truly understood just how good the "honey" of walking in intimacy with God is, we wouldn't fear them nearly as much?

Makes you think, doesn't it? :-)