[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Tuesday, July 22, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all.  I hope that when you read this message you're all doing well.

Marion Turnbull, a writer who works with immigrants and foreign students in Manchester, U.K., contributed the following article for today entitled "My Sister's Chickens," rendered as follows:

My sister arrived home one day with a boxful of hens.

She had seen some old hens being sold off from a large farm where the chickens spent their days as "egg machines," living in small cages with no daylight and no freedom.  So she carried a carton--twelve of them stuffed into a cardboard box--home to "give them a bit of life."

Setting the box on the floor, she ran off into the yard to fix up the old henhouse.  It had a small "Hen-sized" door in the corner for hens to step outside into the run.  The wire around the run needed some mending, but my sister and friends worked on it.  When all was ready she carried the box triumphantly into the henhouse, lifted the hens out, one by one, and set them gently down on the floor.

Scattering grain all around on the floor, she explained to the hens, "Come on now, you're free! You can even step outside and enjoy the sunshine." But the hens stayed exactly in the spot where she had placed them, not moving their feet one inch.  She even had to put the water container within their reach.  These poor creatures had never known freedom and, of course, everyone knows the old ways are safer!

When she came back a bit later, they were still sitting as tight as she left them.  She brushed the scattered corn nearer to them, and hunger made them stick out their necks to grab it and to drink from the dish, but they shrank back into a huddle.  The next day they were still together on the floor.  "Look!" she said to them.  "The sun is shining.  You can go outside and enjoy everything." The hens stayed put.

At last, after three days, one brave hen stuck its neck out of the door.  It put one foot slowly after the other until it was right outside--then jumped back in again.  Well, that was a start.  Next day, the same hen slowly ventured out again and began to peck around.  Another joined it.  It took two more days before the others followed, but once they got the idea, it was wonderful to see them pecking up the corn we threw, stretching their legs until they could run around in the sunshine, and clucking away happily.

My sister was delighted.  She said, "You know, we're like those hens.  We have so many fears and hang-ups that keep us in the "henhouse" that we find ourselves in.  God wants us to be free, and sent Jesus for that purpose."

Free from what? The hens never experienced the sun or freedom to move about, so they were slow to find out that something was missing.  It was the same with me.  I missed out on so many opportunities God put right in front of my nose--because I didn't really believe that they were meant for me to enjoy.  Let's not miss anything by refusing to explore and receive what God has given.

And there you have Marion's article which, although from last year, I trust was a blessing to you who read it the second time, and also to those of you who read it for the first time.

Before I close, for those of you who didn't read it, the answer to Sunday's weekly Bible trivia game was Luke 24.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought article for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul