Hello,
As I have written on several occasions, my wife has a hobby of which I have become a participant: raising chickens. Not necessarily a willing participant, but not opposed to being part of the “fun”. Over the course of the last several years, her hobby has grown. We started out as greenhorns in the chicken raising world. Kate built a moveable chicken coop, we ordered a small flock of chickens over the internet, and we were on our way. Since then, Kate’s mastery of chicken raising has grown….feeders, water dispensers, feeding mixtures, variety of chicken breeds, and……..an electric fence.
Up until the electric fence, the chickens had the roam of our property. This led to some disasters and inconvenience. The disaster took its place in the disappearance of several chickens by the jaws of a fox. The inconvenience being that when the chickens were out of their coop, my dogs had to be inside…..much to their torment and dismay.
So, we bought a movable electric fence that could be replanted as the coop was moved. 100 feet of it, giving the chickens quite a bit of ground to stroll around in. But apparently not enough ground, because recently a couple of the chickens have so developed the urge to find new ground to dig in that they have developed the muster to take flight over the fence, even with their wings clipped!
I was playing fetch with my dog, MacMahon, about a week or so ago on the field below our house, and when he had had enough I said to him, “Ok, let’s go inside.” Being a little quicker of foot than I, he reached the house before me. As I neared the house, I was struck with terror. A chicken was wandering about, outside of its fence! I was shocked that it was still alive. Had MacMahon not seen it? He must have been too focused on getting back inside and it escaped his glance.
I quickly herded him inside, shut the door, and took off to catch the over-venturous chicken. Believe it or not, chickens can be quite fleet of foot, but fortunately as I neared this chicken it did what scared chickens also do….they kind of spread their wings and cower. I grabbed, and as I grabbed it I thought to myself with aggravation, “You dumb chicken!”, and I carried it back to the fence over which it had dangerously vaulted, and dropped it in…..not from a potentially harmful height, but because I could not bend over the electric fence far enough to reach the ground….without getting shocked! “Dumb Chicken!”
All this has made me thankful for the God that has claimed me as his own, because I, like that chicken have a way of venturing over the fence in which God has set up to keep me safe. Drawn to what looks like greener grass. Wanting to spread my wings. Rebellious to things that fence me in. And so I jump…jump the fence. More often than my wife’s chickens, and every time that I jump that fence, I do so foolishly. Placing myself in dire danger. Creating havoc in my life and in the lives of those who love me.
And every time that I take flight over the fence, I soon find God coming to gather me in. Sometimes I scurry….but God is quicker of speed. Sometimes I cower. But either way, when God gathers me up, I don’t hear the words that ran through my mind when I gathered that chicken, “Dumb chicken!” Instead, I hear, “Beloved, let’s go home.” And as I feel myself being gently gathered up in God’s arms, I hear, as Jesus says, “more joy in heaven” over the wanderer who has been found.
So, if you find yourself dangerously wandering in life with bird dogs and foxes hoping to devour you…..fear not….for God is also out to find you. To find you, gently gather you up, and say to you, “Beloved, let’s go home.”
Have a great week,
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
No comments:
Post a Comment