“Save the Bees!”
Scripture Reading — Psalm 8:1-9
You have made [human beings] a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.
Thankfully, many organizations are tracking the health of honeybees today. Since the alarming announcement of CCD (see July 28), some corrective actions have been taken by beekeepers and governments. As a result, honeybee populations have mainly stabilized. However, a hidden disaster for pollinators is looming ever larger. Wild bee populations are dying off too. These other bees pollinate 80 percent of flowering plants and trees worldwide. The catastrophic cost of losing bees would be inestimable for farming, economies, wildlife, and the environment.
Human greed and carelessness play an outsize role in the use of pesticides and the ongoing habitat loss that threaten bees. As a result, “Save the bees!” movements have sprouted up around the globe. These campaigns are similar to calls to “Save the planet” and other efforts in past years.
In light of Psalm 8, humanity’s threat to bees and to our own environment is ironic. Human beings, made in God’s image, have the honor to care wisely for God’s creation and his creatures. But when we mismanage God’s good creation, we harm ourselves and all creation as well.
The good news is that the perfect human has come in Jesus Christ to restore us to our role of truly caring for God’s creation. Let’s learn and do what we can to care for the world we live in.
Lord, the earth and everything in it is yours. Empower us to restore your creation for your purposes and glory. Amen.
About the author — Don Byker
Don Byker has been a pastor since 1984 in various churches and institutional settings. Don and his wife, Donna, are the parents of four adult children, two of whom are married. Donna and Don are also the glad grandparents of three granddaughters. Currently Don is serving in a rural church in Michigan full of gardeners.
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