Bees and Bulls
"They compassed me about like bees." and ":Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round." -- Psalm 118:12 and Psalm 22:12.
Compassed about by bees. Compassed about by bulls. But the bees worried David more than the bulls.
Little things try the soul more than big things. It is by little vexations that we oftenest allow ourselves to be overcome. Many a man who is able to bear a great misfortune cannot sustain a little disaster.
To meet small trials requires more courage, or at least more discipline, than to endure great ones. Here is where we need to be on our guard. Some lose their temper over the smallest trifles. In the presence of a great provocation, they might stand their ground bravely enough. But they allow little worries with their stings to fret them well-nigh to death.
Watch out for the bulls. Be ready for them. But don’t forget to watch out for the bees. You will likely have some big troubles in life. It is well to be prepared for them. But it is more important to be prepared for little troubles, for of them you will have many. Indeed, the best way to prepare for great trials is to prepare for the small ones.
I would rather be gored to death by a bull than to be stung to death by a swarm of bees. The agony would be sooner over with and not nearly so painful. We suffer not so much from the great difficulties of life as from little difficulties, especially when these come in a multitudinous form. It is for the latter, therefore, that we need the greater discipline and heroism.
Fortify yourself against the bulls. But don’t neglect to shield yourself against the bees. They are more numerous and pestiferous.
