Up In The Tree

It was a lovely summer night.
The humidity was much lower.
The air was a bit cooler.
It was the perfect kind of night to eat dinner on the deck.

Some people eat outside every night.
However, me and humidity are not friends.
Early morning is delightful on my deck or my side porch.
However the heat of the day is something I choose to avoid.

Our daughter and granddaughter were over for dinner as well.
My husband brought the highchair outside.
There was so much to see and so much to hear.
There was so much to captivate a toddler.

Birds in the trees caught her interest.
The incessant buzz of a fly that decided to join us, captured her attention.
It was just one of those lazy nights.
It was a time of lingering.

My chair was facing the woods.
Among the trees, there was darkness.
I knew that a mother deer and her baby fawns were close by.
I hoped to see one of the spotted fawns peeking out at us.

As I peered into the darkness of the woods, I saw it.
It was hanging from a tree about twenty feet off the ground, not too far from our deck.
At first I thought it was a cocoon of some sort.
Upon closer inspection, I knew.

Look at that! I exclaimed louder than I had intended.
I pointed towards the tree.
Is that a bee hive? I asked.
I think so and it’s a big one, my husband added.

My husband got up and went inside.
He came back a few minutes later with binoculars.
He was able to see the hive clearly.
I can see the bees on the hive, he said.

I did not have the binoculars but from my vantage point I saw them.
I could see them flying in and out of the hive.
I thought of the queen bee they were serving.
I thought about the bees I had been seeing on my tiny white flowers in the hanging basket.

My husband googled beekeepers.
He found a few local ones.
They actually come out and remove the hive for free.
Honey bees and the honey they produce, are quite desirable to local beekeepers.

I called one of the numbers and left a message.
Since it was the weekend, I knew that I would not hear back from them until Monday.
The next morning I had a thought.
Our neighbor has a honey business on the side; he might be interested in the hive.

I texted him and his wife.
He said he would stop over later that day.
My husband is off this week doing things around the house.
I knew the two men would handle all of this just fine.

When I returned from errands, my husband told me that our neighbor did come over.
It is not a honey bee hive, my husband said.
We will have to call an exterminator, he told me.
I knew who to call and found that they can come out at the end of the week.

If it is a honey bee hive, we can’t touch it, the person told me on the phone.
We were told that it is not a honey bee hive, I told her.
I thought about her comment.
I wondered why they could not touch it, if it was indeed a honey bee hive.

Honey bees are pollinators.
Bees provide flowers with the means to reproduce.
They spread pollen from flower to flower.
Without pollination, plants cannot create seeds.

We need honey bees.
One-third of our food, including 130 fruits and vegetables, depends on pollination.
Honey bees and other insects are helpful to us.
I understood why removing a honey bee hive is something a beekeeper would do.

Except in this case, it is a black jacket hive is hanging from our tree.
This is something we need to remove.
I cringe to think of the hive falling and the black jackets swarming.
My husband said that he wanted to take a video of the hive’s removal.

No thanks!
I will be safely inside.
I was told the exterminator will wear protective clothing.
I know that he will take precautions to safely remove the hive.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

We have an enemy.
We cannot deal with our enemy if we are unprotected.
Like the black jacket hive, the schemes of the devil swarm around us.
We need to put on the right protective clothing; we need the armor of God.

We cannot venture out unprepared.
We cannot even begin to get rid of the devil and his schemes on our own.
Each piece of God’s armor protects us in the spiritual battle we face every day.
We have to take the battle seriously; thankfully we already know the Victor.

Jesus.
Lord.
Savior.
Exterminator of evil.

Praise His name.

2 responses to “Up In The Tree”

1. I love that ” exterminator of evil” reference for God.

   Reply

   • Paula,
     I think that descriptive is one I will cling to, often.
     Gina

     Reply