snoozing like a bee

it is cooling off here in lexington.  the nights are mild and the sun is losing its summertime sting.  i was enjoying the autumnal rays yesterday with a  midmorning cup of tea out in the garden.  my attention was drawn to the dozens of huge carpenter bees dotting around the last of the zinnias and marigolds.  they also show a particular preference for garlic chive blooms.

anyway, many of them were stereotypically 'busy bees', tirelessly moving from one bloom to the next.  but just as many were taking naps right there at the site of their labors.  it was one of the most delightful things to observe, bees taking naps right there in the workplace.  what un-edited ease they model for us.  it was a good lesson to me about the value of rest and the endless education to be had from the ways of God's good creation. 

Jesus made a point of drawing our attention to the way creatures work and play and receive what they need from the hand of God...how much more (Jesus goes on to say) are we beloved ones of the Creator, and how much more confident can we be in the provisions of God.  i come away from my education through the bees with a renewed appreciation of the importance of rest...not as a last -gasp reflex against exhaustion, but as an inherent part of a well lived and diligent rhythm of life.  it occurs to me that sabbath is not collapsing into the weekend, too worn out to do anything else, it is a nap in the middle of the day and a prayer of thanksgiving right when we think we can least afford to pause.

(geoff)