Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I love the sound of rain.  To me there is something comforting about the clouds and hearing the rain fall to the earth from the sky.  Studies show that rain is like a lullaby that can help people to relax and to even fall asleep.  The pitter-patter on the roof or as it hits the windows gives you a sense of calmness.  

As the rain ended and I stepped outside to feel the cooler temperature, I looked to the east and I was in awe as I saw a complete rainbow.  The colors of red, orange, yellow, green and blue were striking.  I wondered if the pot of gold was waiting for me at the end of the rainbow.

With a smile on my face, humming "Somewhere over the rainbow", I enjoyed a leisurely walk around the neighbor.  

The rain and the spectacular rainbow renewed my spirit.  God's promises to Noah after the flood reminds me all that God does for me on a daily basis.  God promised Noah that never again would a flood do such destruction; that seasons will come as expected and a rainbow will be visible when it rains as a sign that God keeps His promises.

There are so many promises written in the Bible.  Begin to find them and see God's faithfulness to each of us.  The pot of gold is what God gives us if only we will ask.

What Do Bees Tell Me?

Watering the flowers today, I was amazed at all the bees flying from one flower to the next.  It is interesting to watch nature.  If we look and listen, we will learn a lot. 

Bees teach us about working as a team to get something accomplished.  Everybody has their role and their responsibility.  Of course, there is the Queen Bee.  She is usually the mother of most, if not all, the bees in the beehive.  The bees will follow and fiercely protect her.  The other bees will collect the nectar, which is for everybody.  There is so much more to learn about the bees.  One thing is that they have a good memory.  They travel long distances, but they know how to get back to their hives.

It is interesting to note that bees pollinate the crops.  The bees collect nectar and pollen from the flower of a plant.  When the bee visits the next flower or crop, some of the pollen rubs off into the plant and reproduction is beginning.  Without bees, we would not have apples, almonds, cherries, avocados, blueberries and the list goes on.  So as you can see we need the bees.

In the Bible, God talks a lot about bees and honey.   Proverbs 16:24 says "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Haven't you heard the phrase "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."

As bees are important to the environment, our words and how we speak are just as important.  Are we we speaking words of encouragement and joy or are we speaking words of destruction?  Our mouth is powerful.  What words will you speak today?

As the bees buzz around pollinating our crops to produce the various vegetables and fruits and flowers.  We also need to be buzzing around speaking words of life, encouragement, wisdom, affirmation and hope.

Bees are needed to produce crops.  People are needed for each other.  Bee that special person!