Elder James E. Talmage is the author of the tome, “Jesus The Christ” and has inspired many with his thorough study of the life and teachings of our Savior. One of his lesser known works however has been on my mind recently.
In The Parable of the Unwise Bee, Elder Talmage shares that he often left his window open during the summer while he worked on his various books. One day, a pleasant bee flew in and spent some time exploring the room; Elder Talmage was delighted to have this little guest. When it was time to leave, however, the human occupant tried to encourage this little insect to fly to freedom. The bee bristled. Not understanding that Elder Talmage was actually trying to help it, the bee felt threatened and stung it’s would be rescuer.
A few days later, Elder Talmage came back to his office and found the dried up body of this little bee.
The bee didn’t know that Elder Talmage was trying to save it. It didn’t know what Elder Talmage knew. It couldn’t understand what he was trying to do. It’s myopic vision prevented it from receiving help.
I’ve thought a lot about this parable in my life, especially since becoming a dad. We have a two year old daughter, Lizzie. When she was first born her bilirubin levels were too high which made her skin turn a shade of yellow. Though only a few days old, we had to take her back to the hospital to get her blood drawn to test those levels. However, the blood pressure in a baby isn’t very good, so they had to prick her heel and squeeze her skin to get the blood to fill up their tube.
Our sweet, innocent, 3-day old little girl was in pain. One of us had to hold her upper body down while the other one of us held her leg still for the nurse. I almost cried as I saw my baby screaming in pain. But I couldn’t explain to her that it was for her good. She didn’t know what I knew.
Recently, not for the first time, I put Lizzie’s clothes on the wrong way. She loved the dress she was in, so when I came and tried to tell her we had it on backwards and we needed to take it off, she made a run for the door. However, I am faster than an 18 month old. Though full of screaming and wiggling, I helped Lizzie turn her dress around. She didn’t know it was on backwards; she didn’t know what I knew.
When we take Lizzie to get her vaccines, she doesn’t know what’s coming until she sees the shots. Now she recognizes them. As we hold her and she feels the pinching in her legs, she probably feels a little betrayed by us. Maybe she’s thinking, “What are you doing!? This HURTS! Mama, Dada, make it stop! PLEASE, I can’t take this anymore. Why are you doing this to me?” I wish I could tell her. I wish she could understand.
In my own life, I have been like the bee and like Lizzie. I haven’t understood what God was doing. I have asked “why me?” I have tried to pray with faith for miracles that never materialized. I have been confused by how some things unfolded in my life.
I know that not everything that happens to us in this life is because God makes it happen, sometimes He just allows things to happen. And I have no idea why He lets some of the things happen in our lives that really hurt us or others. But I’m trying to learn to trust God more. I don’t know what He knows. I can’t see what He sees. I can’t understand all that He understands.President Uchtdorf taught: "I think God knows something we don't--things that are beyond our capacity to comprehend! Our Father in Heaven is an eternal being whose experience, wisdom, and intelligence are infinitely greater than ours."
Isaiah 55:8-“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”
I know that God loves us. I know that God loves Lizzie more than I do. If my feelings for Lizzie are even in the same ballpark as God’s for her, then I know more about God than I ever did before I was a dad. I know that He wants to help us. I know that He has a bigger plan for us than we can imagine.
One day Lizzie will understand why we did what we did. One day we will understand why God does what He does, or allows what He allows. Just like it’s ok that Lizzie doesn’t know the reason for it all, I believe it’s ok that we don’t know the reason for it all either. We’re in good hands. Christ is for us, and "he doeth not anything save it be for the befit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him." (2 Nephi 26:24)
