I noticed a week or so ago that a couple of the hens were missing some feathers; it was molting season so I didn’t think anything of it at first. Within 24 hours, The Little Red Hen’s head was almost completely bald and her neck was bleeding. Not knowing who the attacker was at the time, I moved her into the hen house and shut the door to the others. After a couple of days, I noticed blood on the ground in the chicken yard. Our yellow Orpington, Henrietta, had a huge hole in her side; she was so weak, we had to put her down. My son pointed out the offending hen (a Wyandotte named Geraldine) so we put her down, too; I won’t have animals that are destructive.
It has been a long time since I last raised chickens, so before going to Canton, I did a lot of research on the internet. One of the things I found was an article that addressed the issue of chickens pecking at one another. Apparently there are many reasons for this behavior; in our case, it was simply that they were bored. The article said that some chickens will peck at each other until they draw blood. It also said that chickens will “…go berserk at the site of blood…it sends them into a frenzy” and they keep at it until the poor chicken finally dies. Wow!
As Christians, we can go at each other on occasion just like chickens do. And once we get our momentum going, get that taste of blood, we can’t seem to stop. There is no hurt that cuts deeper than the hurt that comes from a brother or sister in Christ. God has to be ashamed of us; I know I am. We have got to fix this! We have got to learn to love one another! We have got to get this right!
Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
Those words “devoted” and “honor” mean to be completely dedicated to each other and to highly respect one another – “above yourselves”! I wonder if that’s the problem, the “above yourselves” part? Look at our society. In many homes, both parents work (certainly single moms or dads do). As soon as you get off work, you have to take Susie/Bobby to ball practice. After practice, Susie has to go to dance and Bobby to Taekwondo. Then it’s pick up Sonic on your way home, do 3 hours of homework, baths, then bed. “When?” That’s the question we’re asking - when do we have time to put anyone else ahead of ourselves? Maybe the question we should really be asking is what can I delete from my schedule that will allow me more time with God, more time with my family, and more time to invest in the lives of others? Maybe we should take another look at our priorities. Dance, sports, music, etc. are not eternal. Our personal relationship with God is eternal. Relationships with family and friends – those are eternal. Leading others to Christ –eternal. Ministry – eternal.
It’s hard to invest in something or someone when you have nothing left to invest.
In Romans 12:16, Paul says, “Live in harmony with one another.” There is nothing more beautiful than perfectly harmonized voices; we could listen to them all day long. These vocalists are committed/devoted to rigid practice schedules. It’s these rigid practice schedules that are responsible for those perfectly harmonized voices. Paul is not saying, “Gee, I would really like it if y’all would live in one accord.” No, he’s saying, “Just do it!” Live in one accord, in unity, perfectly balancing and complimenting one another; be dedicated and respectful to each other. We need to be willing to work at our relationships; willing to make time for one another; willing to invest in each other’s lives.
Someone once said, “A family in harmony will prosper in everything.”
The Little Red Hen’s feathers are slowly but surely starting to grow back now, and she has once again begun to lay eggs, but she won’t leave the hen house. She won’t even go out for food and water; I’ve had to put food and water inside for her. She’s afraid of being hurt again; this experience has changed her. I have to tell you that I have been snatched bald-headed a time or two myself. I totally get it; it changed me, too. Some people, however, leave the church and never return. It’s sad that we can be so cruel. Churches are being destroyed from the inside out. The ugliness is overflowing into the streets for all to see. We cannot be devoted, honoring, or in unity if we’re chasing each other around the hen house!
We are supposed to be light in a dark world, a city on a hill.
We are supposed to be - the mirror image of Christ.
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