“John (the Baptist) wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey” — Matthew 3:4.
A former beekeeper, myself, I know bees don’t take kindly to being robbed. We wore special clothing and took special precautions to avoid being stung — but John ate wild honey. He would just reach in and get some! Why?
Evidently he valued the taste of honey more than the sting.
Now let’s focus on a passage from Saint Paul:
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” — 2nd Corinthians 4:7-10
For the Apostle, following Christ sometimes stung — troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast down. Yet he kept at it! Why?
Evidently he valued the taste of Christ more than the sting.
There is sweetness in Christ found nowhere else that, once tasted, causes some to value it more than anything else. That’s what we have — Wild Honey, and it’s great!!
— fritz
At a local scooter club I heard a safety saying, “Dress for the fall, not the ride”. I took it to advise being prepared for difficulties not just the enjoyment. Today my daily Bible reading surfaced a scripture with a similar message but in a larger context.
Patrikin - Kinship through The Father 