Lucy and the bees

Lucy lived at Emerald Hill Farm with her mom, dad, and three little sisters. Emerald Hill Farm was situated on the side of a hill with green pastures and trees all around. When Lucy got off the bus after school, she had to walk partway up the hill to the big farmhouse. After a snack, she would walk farther up the hill to play among the apple trees or in the lower barn where all the hay was stacked. Sometimes she even went all the way up to the upper barn where her dad milked the cows.

One warm fall day, Lucy got off the bus as usual. After having a snack she went to the upper barn to see her dad. The chickens were scratching around near the hen house. The cows were swishing their tails to shoo off the flies. And bees were enjoying the warm sun, buzzing around the clover and thistle flowers that grew close to the barnyard.

Suddenly a bee started buzzing around Lucy. She waved her arms to shoo it away. But instead it tried to hide under the hem of her shorts. As Lucy tried to get the bee out, she became more and more frantic. So did the bee. Finally the bee escaped, but not before it stung Lucy.

Lucy's mom was nearby and immediately came to comfort her. She took Lucy down to the big cool farmhouse to help calm her and to be sure the stinger was out. She talked with her about how God takes care of all His creatures, including Lucy. Mom reminded her of some of the things she had been learning in the Christian Science Sunday School. Lucy remembered that "every creature of God is good" (I Tim. 4:4). But it still didn't seem like a good thing to get stung.

Mom got out the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and showed Lucy where it says, "All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible" (p. 514). She explained that bees really are good and useful in many ways. This one had gotten frightened because Lucy had become afraid. Lucy could understand that.

But what if it happened again? As they prayed, they remembered a hymn that Lucy liked very much. It reminded her that the ever presence of God "blesses all and injures none." It ends with "so God's children all shall dwell in joy and peace" (Violet Hay, "Christian Science Hymnal," No. 157). Lucy could see that since God made all His creatures good and that He was always with them, she had no reason to be afraid of being hurt. She could live peacefully with the bees.

A few days later Lucy was at the upper barn again. The cows were swishing their tails and the bees were busy among the clover and thistles. Lucy's skirt was a pretty lavender color - almost the same color as the thistles. One bee must have thought her skirt was a huge flower. It flew up to her, buzzed around, and went right under her skirt.

But Lucy remembered what she and Mom had talked about a few days before. She decided that she would not act afraid but stand still and know that God's goodness was right there - protecting both her and the bee from hurting each other. The bee tickled a little bit, but in just a moment it came out from under her skirt and flew away.

Lucy was so happy that she had not been afraid. She didn't want to hurt the bee and knew that the bee didn't want to hurt her. She ran right away to tell her mom how she had remembered all the good things they had talked about and how she had not been hurt. They were both very grateful for this evidence of God's care for all His creatures.

Lucy now shares what she learned from this experience whenever she has the opportunity. She will ask everyone to stop running around and waving their arms and to sit quietly so the bee can leave in peace. She has never forgotten that "all of God's creatures ... are harmless" and "dwell [together] in ... peace."