Abbot Tryphon in his daily inspirational, The Morning Offering, tells the story of Elder Paisios, who advises a man how to consider the relationships and circumstances around us. “There are two types of people in the world,” he says. “There are flies and there are bees. Flies know where all the dirt is, and where to find ‘stink.’ Whereas bees know where all the flowers are and know only that which smells beautiful.” In the parable, the monk suggests we become bees, focusing on that which is good and sweet in the people and circumstances God sends us.

This advice rings true in our current times.

Recently, we encountered a dilapidated campground on the edge of a ramshackle town in the middle of nowhere at the end of a sweltering hot day. We stopped for the night at this campground and pulled our camper to a halt after a tiring 8-hour drive. Our truck was making obnoxious and consistently loud grinding noises as we traversed from the cool Rocky Mountains to the high plains of New Mexico. Our dog was panting, and we had no water in our tanks. While the boys unhitched and leveled the camper, I gazed to see a few derelict trailers scattered about the grounds. Weeds were thriving throughout the lots and mosquitoes were buzzing around my head. As I stopped to consider the unfortunate circumstances, out here near the desert, I spied a single yellow sunflower reaching its head up to the heavens. This flower, thriving and seemingly unaware of its desolate and unfortunate habitat, was the only vibrant object in the campground. It was beautiful. I quickly snapped a photo before it could fall victim to a trampling by my dog or a rogue football.

These are desolate times. People are scared again. Masks are everywhere, cloaking the image of God we know is behind each one. The news is depressing. What is a child of God to do? Complaining and judging how our neighbor handles this crisis is all too easy. Instead, As Elder Paisios teaches, we must become bees, flying toward that which is sweet and good. We must continue to be a source of love and kindness toward the weary we encounter every day. If we can continue to lift our faces toward heaven in the midst of these difficult times, His radiance will cloak our faces in the sweetness of His love. In this, we will bless others, even in the most unlikely of situations.