Like a Mother Hen

 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling."  Matthew 23:37 NASB

I guess you could say that I am a visual person.  Things make sense to me more when I see pictures versus seeing numbers or merely words.  If you paint a picture for me with words, it comes alive for me.  For example, if you tell me that two people get along well, I understand what you are saying.  But if you tell me that Phil and Miss Kay go together like rice & gravy, well, I completely understand the dynamic.

Such is the citation from Scripture above.  The Bible is full of agricultural references because the people were simple, rural folk who could relate to farming stories.  Christ could tell us that he loves us and I'll take Him at His Word, but He did something better.  He painted a picture for me with a metaphor that truly shows the depths of His Love.  A mother hen loves her chicks and would give her life to protect them.  She flares her feathers and (if the baby chicks are willing) they run to her, get under her wings and she protects them from destruction.

If you've followed the blog, you know that we have 42 eggs currently sitting in an incubator in our sun room. We've been watching them and they should be hatching on the evening of August 25th.  Yesterday afternoon when we went out to the barn to milk the cows, something startled me and I yelled out to Tricia, scaring the living daylights out of her.  What are living daylights, anyway???  But I digress - back to the story.  A hen had been sitting on a secret nest somewhere and she emerged with four baby chicks she hatched out after I threw the rice for the flock to eat.

How exciting!  In the 8+ years that we've had chickens, we've NEVER had a hen that has hatched out more than one chick.  Aren't they cute?!

Cute little puff balls

The momma hen is a Black Star hen given to us by a good friend.  About a week ago, we saw her with her wings all flared out and knew that she had a nest somewhere, but never could locate it.  She would only come around in the afternoon during feeding time.  I climbed up into the loft to look for the nest, but was unsuccessful in locating where it was.  Anyway, she did a good job.

Cheep, Cheep, Cheep...

Her little chicks were following her around dutifully, imitating her as she scratched and ate.

Following Momma's lead

If you notice, the chicks are markedly different.  Since we have Black Stars, Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Red, Cornish Cross, and Aracauna hens and roosters, the combinations are many regarding which breed these chicks will turn out to be. Momma hen doesn't mind.  She sat on her eggs as well as those of others for 21 days and hatched them out and now she'll raise them and protect them.

To me that is a stunning word picture of our Creator.  We all look different, but He loves us just the same!

All Creatures Great and Small

They were funny as they scurried around Momma hen, in and out of her feet, wary of me, Tricia, Benjamin and Tricia's brother, David and his kids Systine and Noah, who happened to be visiting.

Sally Henny Penny and her babies

Benjamin gathered some hay for her and filled a container of water and Momma hen flared her feathers which made her look twice as big as she really is.  The chicks instinctively knew to run for her and tuck themselves under her wings, where they will find warmth, safety, and security from a world fraught with peril and danger. She'll protect them or die trying.  You can see two of them to the left of her head, ducking under her right wing.

Running for Safety

And here is Sally Henny Penny, bedded down for the long, dark night.  Her feathers are all puffed up and you can't see a single chick.  But they are there, tucked away under her wings where no predator that roams around in the night can steal them, kill them, or destroy them.

Safe under the Wings of Love

Isn't that our story, too?  He'll gather us under His Wings and protect us from danger. We must be willing, and we must run to Him!