To Bee Or Not To Bee

We had a pretty harrowing episode at the Rhea house a couple of months ago. Some alien-type bees invaded planet Rhea. These were no ordinary bees. They seemed to be incredibly resilient and thoroughly stupid bees—with anger issues. There were a few dozen of the kamikaze bugs that continually pelted the atrium window. It honestly sounded like muffled machine-gun fire. When friends dropped by they were pretty puzzled by my army helmet.

I named the biggest of the bugs Hercules. I would’ve had a healthy respect for the nest even if it weren’t for Hercules, who looked to me more like a flying buffalo. But the nest commanded even more respect. It had to be the size of a small moon. I for one had no plans to be attacked by the entire herd—helmet or no helmet.

I’ve always made it a policy to never mess with a nest bigger than my head. Fortunately for our family, my husband has no such policy. When he realized I wasn’t leaving the house until the invasion was thwarted, he took the offensive. Sometime before we ran out of groceries, he tiptoed outside in the evening while Hercules slept and soaked the entire east side of the house in forty gallons of some kind of toxic juice. The next morning I was amazed to hear the gunfire on the window again. I actually wondered if I would have to wait for the bugs to die of chemical-induced malignancies.

Richie made another night assault the next evening. There were more maneuvers the next night too. Still Hercules and his gang orbited the nest. Each day they were a little angrier than the day before. My kids stopped playing outside altogether. It was getting ridiculous. I was starting to take on a few anger issues of my own.

Uncontrolled anger can make all of us do pretty stupid things. It’s often like pounding our heads against a window. Anger hurts us, but it also explodes pain onto those around us. Proverbs 27:4 tells us that “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming.”

Worst of all, anger grieves our Father. Ephesians 4:30-31 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” We’re told plainly what to do with hateful anger: get rid of it!

Colossians 3:8 says it again; “But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

My courageous husband took the same approach to Herc’s nest. He got rid of it. After the third or fourth round of chemicals, he used a long pole to knock the moon-thing down. It was our own kind of lunar landing. If you’re wondering about planet Rhea, Hercules doesn’t live here anymore. And I’m recovering nicely from the helmet hair, thank you.

Rhonda Rhea is a pastor’s wife and mother of five. She speaks at conferences and events across the country and writes for dozens of publications in the U.S. and Canada. Look for her newest book, Turkey Soup for the Soul—Tastes Just Like Chicken. Find more information at www.RhondaRhea.net.