There Are Bees In Cozumel Too

One of our best days on our cruise was the day we spent in Cozumel-- a tropical paradise with water so clear and blue it takes your breath away. I felt truly blessed as I sat on that beach so far from home with some women that I love and treasure. I marveled at what God can accomplish in our lives, and how far He has brought me in mine.

Around lunchtime, we decided to order some authentic Mexican food to enjoy while we laid out on the beach-- the height of luxury in my opinion! We dined on real tortilla chips with salsa, corn and chicken wrapped in tortillas, coconut shrimp with orange sauce and real guacamole that was delicious. We felt like princesses being served our every whim! And then the bees found our food.

Now let me just tell you that Mexican bees are just as pesky and annoying as American bees. We swatted them away and tried our best to enjoy our lunch without being attacked. But there was nothing we could do to deter them. As I watched Renee do her best to trap one particularly determined bee in the orange sauce (we were finished eating by then, I will add), the thought struck me: As perfect and idyllic as this place was, there were still bees to invade our picnic. I turned to Lysa and commented that even in paradise, the grass is not greener.

I mused over how this is so true of life in general-- we foolishly think that if we could just have ________ or we could just do __________, then our lives would be perfect. Sitting on that beach enjoying yummy food, listening to the waves hit the shore, and enjoying the beautiful view was darn close to perfect-- and yet, there were still bees and sand that got everywhere and sharp coral that was hard to walk on. In this world, I concluded, there simply is no way to obtain perfection. It is a far better thing to be content wherever God has you.

I thanked God for that perspective that day-- for allowing those bees to remind us that even picnics in Cozumel get interrupted by the less than pleasant things of life. It is what living in a fallen world will always look like. Til we all get to heaven. What a day of rejoicing that will be-- life without tears, paradise without pests, beaches without bees. In the meantime I plan to remember my encounter with those bees and embrace the life God has chosen to give me all the more.