For Such a Time as This: A Queen’s Story

I've discovered that being a second-year beekeeper is much harder than being a first-year beekeeper.

I came out of winter with four healthy hives, and they are all thriving. While that's a blessing, it has also meant spending the last few months chasing swarm preparations, relocating queen cells, and trying to stay one step ahead of the bees.

At the moment, I have queens in all four compartments of my Queen Hotel. During my latest inspection, I noticed the workers were busy tearing down the remaining capped queen cells. Curious, I removed the last one to see what was inside.

As I carefully peeled back the wax, out popped a fully developed queen.

Had I left her where she was, she almost certainly would have met the same fate as the other rival queens. Instead, she was given another chance. We quickly pulled a few frames from the resource hive and built her a little nuc—a kingdom of her own. For now, she's resting safely inside a queen cage while the colony has time to become accustomed to her. I'm hopeful they'll soon accept her as their queen.

Watching her crawl from that opened cell reminded me of Queen Esther. She didn't seek a crown or a position of influence, yet God placed her exactly where she needed to be. Her story wasn't about power—it was about purpose.

"Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

— Esther 4:14

Of course, every illustration has its limits. Bees don't choose, pray, or trust God. But they often remind me of spiritual truths.

Sometimes life closes one door only to open another. Sometimes what looks like the end of the story is really God preparing a new beginning. This little queen escaped what seemed like certain defeat and was given an opportunity to establish a colony of her own.

I don't know whether she'll be accepted, whether she'll mate successfully, or whether she'll become a strong laying queen. But I'm reminded that second chances are gifts from God. He often places us in unexpected places, not by accident, but by His providence.

Just as Esther was placed in the palace "for such a time as this," perhaps this little queen has been placed in her new home for a purpose I can't yet see. As beekeepers, we do our best to provide the opportunity. The rest is in God's hands.