BEE IN MY POCKET

Have you ever done something so embarrassing you’re glad no one witnessed it?  This is my story...

One summer, at the church we had a nasty bee problem.  They decided to make their home in the tree outside the front door of the church.  We had bees everywhere.

A little background about myself—I’ve had a goal in life originating during my childhood:  I will live a sting-free life.  I’d heard horror stories from other kids of the life altering, debilitating pain of a bee sting and I’d decided it’s not for me.  I leave bees alone, bees leave me alone.  No bee shall perish on this skin.  And I’m proud to say I’m sting free at the age of 38 (You may applauded now)!

Back to our bee problem—they were everywhere.  Flying around the sanctuary, crawling on the surface of my desk, and on my clothes.  What you thought was a fly buzzing around your head wasn’t.  It was like an Exodus plague at our church.   This was a nightmare and threatened my sting-free living.

I was sitting at my desk when I heard and felt buzzing in my pants pocket!  That’s right somehow one of the bees had managed to climb into my pocket and was angry and wanted out.  This is CODE RED status!  I couldn’t reach into the old pocket and pull out the unwanted intruder.  So I did what any reasonably thinking persons would do in my position.  I stripped off the old trousers and shook out the bee.  What came out of my pocket was no bee.  It was a cell phone ringing up against my keys.  Fear quickly turned to this strong feeling of embarrassment for myself.

The moral of the story is an important one:  Always knock before you enter my office.


Fear drives us to do some really embarrassing things.  And most of the things we fear aren't real or will never happen.  Some of our lives are held back by all the negative “what ifs” our imagination can dream up.

Paul told Timothy:  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  2 Timothy 1:7

Fear is not God given.  In fact, fear causes us to do the opposite God desires for us.  Fear makes you want to hide while God honors transparency.  Fear paralyzes while God wants you to move forward.  Fear makes you want to run while God’s called you to stand your ground.  But He doesn’t call you to courage without equipping you for courage:  Power, love and self-discipline.

Me:  What if I’m not strong enough? 
God:  I’m giving you My power!
Me:  What if my intentions are wrong and I’m come at this situation with the wrong heart?
God:  I’m giving you My love!
Me:  But it’s me!  I can’t trust.  It’s my mind that has a tendency to blow things out of proportion!  My judgement is wrong.
God:  I’ll help you rein that in with self-discipline.

One final thing, I recently met a fellow pastor who’d been stung many times in his life.  He said it felt like getting a shot.  Not getting shot (bang, bang) but getting A SHOT (poke, poke) from the doctor.  All this time I’ve been scared of something that I’d mastered years ago.  Fear is silly that way.