Sweet as Tupelo Honey

March 20, 2020 Georgia Tanner

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

Sunday, after on-line Andy and a walk around the neighborhood with my friend Jane, I tried to entice her into heading over to the neighborhood restaurant for brunch (I think restaurants were still open then – just discouraged). She suggested we just have coffee at my house. She has always been better at following the rules than me – so she keeps me out of a good bit of trouble.

Homemade muffins, honey, and coffee. Jane looked at the little green price tag still affixed to the yellow flip-top. “Oh my, are you going to share this with me? This stuff is the price of gold!” “I know!” I responded. “I decided it would be worth it since you just use a little at a time.” Probably the better response would have been, “I wanted to share it because you are worth it.” But Jane doesn’t care for mushy sentiments, so all was fine.

I am a very frugal person and rarely indulge in expensive meals or specialty foods, but that little plastic bottle of Tupelo honey sitting next to the cash register in a Cape San Blas seafood market spoke to me. “Buy me. I will be worth it.”

There are only two tiny regions of the United States where it is produced; one is the Apalachicola River basin right in the crook of Florida where the peninsula becomes the panhandle – an area classified as Southern Cypress Swamp. This is where the stands of the White Tupelo Tree are abundant. During the 3-week spring bloom, beekeepers float their hives out on barges into alligator-infested waters to get their bees in position to collect their nectar. If it's too dry or windy, the nectar evaporates. If it's too cold or rainy, the bees won't fly. In fact, everything has to be just right to produce Tupelo honey.

All this to say, sometimes it is worth it – the great price for the sweet taste that satisfies. The taste that makes you close your eyes for just a moment and savor life.

The writers of God’s word knew no better way to express this life-loving moment – and they compared it to the sweetness, the richness, the glorious taste of honey. Honey meant abundance; it was considered a healthy food and an honored gift. God’s wisdom and encouraging words were compared to honey. On the way to the wonderful land flowing with ‘Milk and Honey’, the manna which sustained the Israelites for their 40 years in the desert was flavored of honey. Actually, when I think of honey, I sort of think of God.

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Exodus 16:31

And there is the love song of Solomon to his bride;

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
    more than any spice!
  Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;
    milk and honey are under your tongue. Song of Songs 4:10-11

So this is my encouragement to you, my sweet friend. There is absolutely no better time than right now to embrace the sweetness of life – whatever that may be for you. For me, it is to concentrate on God’s provision and His goodness. No matter what the journey looks like right now, I know that each day, God will provide manna from heaven that tastes of honey. I will eat it. I will savor it. I will be thankful. And I will be reminded that God is good – and He is providing for us, one day at a time.

Singer-songwriter Van Morrison released his album Tupelo Honey in 1971 which reached number 27 on the Billboard charts that year.

“You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee”

Information about Tupelo honey from:

https://savannahbee.com/blog/the-legend-of-tupelo-honey

All Scripture from New International Version (NIV)