“Here, chick, chick, chick…”
By Pamela Blattner
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…”
Luke 13:34
I’ve seen a mother hen frantically fussing and squawking at her chicks until her brood is safe by her side. She fluffs out her wings and protects them with her own body and cocks her suspicious eye toward danger without moving from her chicks. If you get closer, she spreads her wings even wider. If I were a chicken hawk, I would think twice about diving toward this determined and self-sacrificing mother hen! She’d be much too big for me to handle and her chicks much too safe to be taken, so I’d probably fly away.By Pamela Blattner
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…”
Luke 13:34
I admit that when I take my eyes off of Jesus in the midst of the problems I face, I become like the chick that hears the call of the mother hen, but darts erratically to and fro around the mother until finally surrendering and coming near for protection and guidance. The Lord is there in every situation just waiting for us to turn to Him. And, He wants us to trust His instruction. We all face storms in our lives. I’ve been learning that I need to remember to go to Jesus first. I often wait to go to Him until after I’ve made the mistake of taking my eyes off of Him.
When someone offends us, do we readily forgive, turn the other cheek and trust in His love for us? Or, do we move out from under His wings and allow hurt to overwhelm us? When our finances take a plunge because of our economy, loss of a job or our own personal choices, do we seek His kingdom first and let Him take care of us? Or, do we let fear and discouragement overtake us? When our family circumstances and relationships reel out of control, do we pray about everything without worrying and receive God’s peace? Or, do we allow anxiety to crush us? When we face illness do we trust that Jesus will never leave or forsake us, even though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Do we believe that He is with us? Or, do we allow terror to grip us?
There were times when our responsibilities and struggles feel bigger than our human abilities…because they are. Let’s let Him gather us up under His strong wings.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Can you think of a time that God pulled you close and you felt the magnitude of His love for you personally? If not, ask Him to make you more aware today.
FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 3:18
Pam and her husband Richard have two adult children and two grandchildren. She serves Oakwood through its Family Care Ministries.
