Month: July 2021

Posted on

The first sign

“Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As a beekeeper, I am asked all the time about getting stung or being afraid to get stung. I always repeat the statement that my instructor at my first beekeeping class said. “If you are afraid to get stung, then you don’t need to be a beekeeper.” Being stung is part of the hobby or the profession.

I can tell you that every time I have been stung was because I did something wrong. Just like with most animals, bees will give you a first warning or sign. I even have a warning sign for all visitors just outside my bee fields.

Bees change the sounds they emit as a warning to their mood or level of comfort. That’s why a beekeeper has to stay calm and collective. He or she has to control movements and slow down. If a hive gets irritated, then it’s time to give them space and time to calm down. A common myth is that smoke calms bees. Smoke actually causes the bees to focus on other issues. They believe the hive is on fire and start hive fire duties — protecting the queen, the food supply, and the young.

As with things in our lives, God gives us warning signs, but most of us ignore the first sign, the Holy Bible. He has warned us of all the dangers we will face and how to handle them, but we ignore them and get ourselves into so much trouble. We ask for signs but ignore them; we beg for signs and ignore them. Why? Because we are so focused on what we want or what we think things should be that we ignore the simple first sign. We ask God why even though we know the answer.

I don’t ask a bee why it stung me. I know why immediately. It is simple, I did something wrong. It’s the same with other animals on the farm, why did a hen peck my hand? Because I was to close to her eggs or chicks. Why did a cow get between me and the calf? Because she is protecting her calf. These are first signs and on a farm you learn to read those signs.

In this world, signs are everywhere. We choose to ignore them whether they are our first or second sign, but in the end we pay a price for our choice of choosing to ignore them. So from us here at Serenity Acres, let’s start paying attention to these signs and have better lives.

Thank you for visiting and #welcome2serenity.

Life Tip: When you are around bees, don’t wear perfume or cologne, don’t wear dark colors, and don’t swipe or fan a bee away from you just walk away as calmly as you can.

Posted on

Directions

“… in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One thing that we give and use is direction. Direction is as much a part of our lives as anything else. In every process or task, we use directions. From washing hair to tying shoes, fertilizing plants to feeding and caring for livestock, directions are followed.

When I was a child, people were always stopping at my grandparents’ house on the farm and asking for directions. I remember my grandfather would always say the famous line, “You can’t get there from here.” No matter where the person needed to go, that was my grandfather’s response. He then proceeded directions with, “You are going to start out by pulling out of my driveway, and …,” in his best Southern terms.

Not knowing our final destination is sometimes the biggest problem. Just as my grandfather would say to lost travelers, you have to first pull out of your current situation and move to reach your destination. God has a destination for you. Every part of our lives has been a step in the direction to the destination God wants from us. When we get off the path to that destination, God provides us with someone or something to get us back on track. God does not say, “You can’t get there from here.” He says, “I have you and I will get you there, just have faith.”

At the farm, we are often brought back on track after deviating from the path. For example, you cannot feed livestock from the bucket. You start by filling the bucket with feed first, and then by emptying the bucket into the feed trough. Otherwise, you will risk leading livestock off the path and changing the destination to you. We have to stop and get new directions, ask for forgiveness, and start the new set of directions. Directions for life are no different. Yes, they may not be simple directions, but they will get you to that final destination.

In the end, we are to get the directions, start the journey from where we are, follow the directions, stay on track, and reach the final destination for the glory of God. There have been many times on the farm where we have contemplated if we were ever going to reach the destination. But, by faith, we stayed the path and followed the directions toward the final destination.

If you are not sure of what your final destination is or what you directions are, then stop and start praying. God will give you both and when he does, take action. Life is a great journey and we are loving the trip through it. We hope you are enjoying yours. Thank you for visiting and #welcome2serenity.

Posted on

The Dam

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:30

One thing about a farm, any size farm, is the To-Do List. It never gets shorter and always grows, even when other things on the farm will not. The list can, at times, get so overwhelming that it becomes a burden creating a mental and emotional dam. A dam that seems to hold back progress, success, and project completion. It keeps in the stress, fear of failure, and emotional depression.

For years, my family battled beaver dams that blocked creeks, streams, and drainage around crop land and cattle grazing land. The dams would cause flooding and destruction costing the family financial woes and physical maintenance woes. My family, over the years, used many different ways to clear the dams out and release the trapped water. One method was using a large grappling hook that my grandfather forged. We would place the hook, either via launching or climbing down, behind the dam and using a truck or tractor to pull the hook moving the materials holding the dam together. It was a constant battle for several years. Remove one dam and another one would get built, over and over pressure was released to be caught and built up again.

That’s the way it is on the farm. You remove one dam to have another build up or develop. In life, we have the same thing happen. We let our burdens build up creating a dam until we either breakup the dam or the dam floods our life with depression, dread, and fear. I still battle with this on the farm and in my own life. The great thing is God has already given us a way to deal with burdens, turn them all over to him. When you feel overwhelmed and your dam is flooding your life, turn it over to God.

There is no feeling like the feeling of release when all your burdens are gone. The farm reminds me of this over and over again. It’s not just my serenity but my church, where what I learn from the Bible is reinforced. Thanks for visiting and #welcome2serenity.

If you would like to see a photo of the grappling hook, then go to our photo of the week page. It is this week’s photo. https://welcome2serenity.com/photo-of-the-week/