It’s been a rollercoaster of a day Father. Guide my thoughts towards You, I pray.
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We’ve had our hummingbird feeder up since early summer, but for the last several years we’re having more issues with wasps this time of the year. Recently, it’s been bald-faced hornets – technically wasps. They are nasty-looking critters for sure!
If they’re on the feeder, the hummingbirds will come up to the feeder, but quickly take off. I don’t think the wasps could hurt them, but the birds seem bothered enough by them that won’t take the chance.
Doing some research, I learned that the number one thing I can do to ward off wasps is to keep things clean. Trash cans should be sealed and there shouldn’t be waste around to attract them – open recyclables that are not rinsed out.
Secondly, I may need to take my feeder down and then hang it back up in a slightly different location. Wasps aren’t smart enough to look for their food in a new place.
The last would be to limit opportunities. I need to keep my feeder clean and eliminate leaks. I may need to look into feeders with bee guards – wasps can’t reach the nectar through them.
Our lives are like feeders, we can attract good things…or bad things. Yes, you could easily argue that the bald-faced hornets are not bad in and of themselves, but their only true saving factor is that they eat other wasps, like yellow jackets and they do potentially do some pollinating. Beyond that they are no friend of humankind. Their smooth stinger allows them to repeatedly sting their opponents, causing great pain. So, I’ll stick with calling them bad things.
Hummingbirds, on the other hand, are great pollinators and they bring great joy to many who are able to watch them feed. Watching hummingbirds is very calming and relaxing….hence good things.
Our goal, as believers in Christ, should be to attract the good – and ward off the bad. But it is not a passive undertaking – it takes work.
Keep things clean. Avoid things that attract evil. I remember a song from my childhood, “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see! …little ears what you hear! …little tongue what you say! … little feet where you go! … little heart whom you trust! … little mind what you think!”
There are many verses, but you get the idea. The verses end with, “For the Father up above is looking down in love. So, be careful little…” plus the line that it started with. Keep things clean.
Next, we may allow ourselves to be in a bad location. If we stand too close to fire, we’re going to get burnt. We need to distance ourselves from where evil is readily found…or from where it can easily find us.
Then finally, limit opportunities. We must spend time in God’s word and communicate with Him regularly. We need our own personal “bee guard”, and in this case, that would be the Holy Spirit. Only His work in our lives can let the goodness of God through to our hearts and souls, and can easily, and most effectively, keep evil at bay.
Lord Jesus, help us to maintain our relationship with You, and may we eagerly seek the Holy Spirit’s impact and protection in our lives. Amen.
Aug 20th, 2023, Sun, 7:16 pm
