Community is Bigger Than Me

Monday Motivation: Loyalty. A wildlife company recently relocated the 10,000 honey bee colony living in the chimney of my newly purchased home. Little did I know how inspiring those bees would become in my life. A large vacuum-like machine began sucking the bees into a box so the rescuer could extract the honeycomb. When he finally got to the comb, it was larger than a watermelon at a Fourth of July picnic! Just the small amount I was given filled an entire Mason jar! But that’s not the best part. I watched as the bees swarmed the comb following the queen, protecting her from harm. Wherever the queen goes, the colony follows. They don’t leave her side. As the comb was carefully placed in slats in the bee box, the bees grew increasing agitated wanting to return to their queen. I asked the rescuer how he knew he’s trapped the queen. His reply? Because the bees followed him! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. They literally swarmed the box trying to get to the queen. The ones that were left behind flew in a flurry of activity for several days, not knowing what to do or where to go. One by one, they died without their colony.

The depth of commitment to family and community struck a cord with me. The love for their leader, the protection of her at all costs is a true marker of community. Merriam-Webster defines community as “a unified body of individuals”. Yet it seems no matter where we turn, stories of brokenness and discontentment fill the airwaves.

Maybe we can’t fix all the problems in the world, but what if we modeled community within our own family? Qualities like showing respect to those in authority over us. Love and commitment to our family members, even when we disagree. Giving teachers respect by listening and not talking over them. Being respectful to coaches and following their instructions. Or for adults, modeling respect for our boss and government officials. You see, the honey bees taught me the importance of loyalty. If I am loyal to those in my family and those who are in authority around me, the next generation will follow, and history will repeat itself in a more positive way. After all, community is a lot bigger than just me!

Let me know your thoughts. How do you model loyalty?