First Glimpse

The Sting

We turned to look back when we reached the palm-studded point where rocks and crashing waves marked the boundary of coral reef and ocean. Deserted Caribbean coastline stretched for miles, white sand gleaming, turquoise swells reflecting the warm, tropical sun. Low hanging palm fronds cast long shadows across the beach, and exotic flowers bloomed in the thickets beneath the trees.

“Ahhh…paradise,” I murmured, closing my eyes and basking in the sun’s warmth. The sound of crashing waves, the smell of salty air, warm sand between my toes—what a contrast to the cold and dreary Tennessee fall we had escaped.

My daughter’s voice broke my reverie. “Hey, Dad, can we start back now? I’m hungry!”

We turned and began the trek back through the soft sand to our towels and snorkeling gear. Suddenly, I felt an intense burning pain in my right foot, and with horror, I realized I had been stung. Heart pounding, I lifted my foot and swept the convulsing insect to the sand. A bee, and not just any bee—a honeybee!

Maybe we should remember that the next time we have an opportunity to tell others about Jesus. The sting of rejection is no reason to risk their eternal destiny.

Suddenly, the warm, tropical day took on a distinct chill. At age seven, a painful encounter with a honeybee left me gasping for breath and covered with hives, leading me to avoid the striped stingers at all costs. “Anaphylactic allergy,” doctors tersely informed my parents. We learned that symptoms begin with severe itching and within minutes, lead to swallowing and breathing difficulties, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, and angioedema—hives beneath the skin. Without immediate treatment, the condition results in increased heart rate, sudden drop in blood pressure, shock, and ultimately death. Yikes!

For more than 30 years, I lived with fear, carrying an epinephrine syringe everywhere I went—everywhere, that is, except the deserted beach on the southeastern shore of Puerto Rico. “Don’t panic,” my wife urged, although I could hear the fear in her voice. Suddenly, the walk seemed very long indeed, and as I stumbled through the soft sand, I must be honest…I didn’t expect to make it.

Obviously, I did. The dreaded sting left me with a sore foot and an ugly bruise—nothing more. My greatest fear proved to be unfounded.

As I ponder that experience, I can’t help but wonder how many fears are just that way, including the fear many Christians have about sharing their faith.

Oswald Chambers once wrote about anxiety, “If your heart is troubled, you are not living up to your belief.” Hmm. He also said, “It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God is in our hearts is when we do not get into panics.”

Maybe we should remember that the next time we have an opportunity to tell others about Jesus. The sting of rejection is no reason to risk their eternal destiny.

Eric K. Thomsen is managing editor of ONE Magazine. Contact him at editor@nafwb.org.