How Running Like a Chicken Is Like Running From God

by @carol_mcclain

I got chicken(s).

Finally, they grew enough to join my larger hens in the big coup. Except–

Lulu, one of the chicks, didn’t like being cooped up. Not having grown large, Lulu found a space under the door where she could slip out.

How do you catch a chicken? I was about to find out–and hopefully before she became a snack for a hawk or a coyote or something else.

I chased her under the porch. Crouching and running at my age is definitely not pretty. I waddled like a duck after a chicken. (clunked my head on the porch above me as well). Did it work?

Nope. Lulu ran across the lawn. I charged after her. My cat did too. As the little critter headed for the pool deck, so did Frannie my ace mouser.

“Stop, Frannie, stop! Stop, stop, oh, stop.” (except for my frantic tone, I had my primer memorized.) “Oh, no, no, no!” I won’t bore you with the rest of my recitation from a first-grade reader. Frannie made an about-face and returned to grooming herself in the driveway. I resumed my chase.

Lulu charged under the pool with me in hot pursuit–how I’m glad I didn’t have a video of this escape. Finally, Lulu ran out from under the pool and hopped over the garden wall. The fraidy-chick dove under the wisteria roots, and …

She found herself wedged under a net supposedly set up to stop the spread of wisteria. (Like kudzu, nothing stops the stupid vine.) Coming to the end of her rope proved to be her salvation.

I wriggled my hands under the roots and net, clasped little Lulu and returned her to the barn.

How are we like Lulu running away from God?

  1.  We don’t realize God is good. Lulu was only about five weeks old. She didn’t know I had only good intentions for her. I can’t eat a chicken I named. I only wanted a healthy bird who’d lay eggs for me. She would have a good life living in our coup. (Ps. 31:19)
  2. Following our own ways lead to death. Had she not been trapped where I could get her, something would’ve killed her–if not a predator, starvation. (Pr. 14:12)
  3. We don’t realize He only wants good things for us. I tried tempting Lulu with scratch. She didn’t know the cracked corn tasted yummy. Until now, she only chowed on tasty grower feed. She thought the scratch in my palm was poison or maybe broccoli. (Rom. 8:28)
  4. We don’t realize our thinking is flawed. Lulu thought she knew better than me. She believed her ways were wise. (Proverbs 12: 14-16)
  5. Coming to the end of ourselves allows us to be saved. She had nowhere else to go, so she found salvation. (2 Cor. 12:9-11)

 

Borrowed Lives

Meridith Jaynes ran from God. Her actions brought only pain. Then she found three children–how does chaos heal?

You’ll laugh and cry and come away changed. Check out the first of my Treasured Lives series before the final instalment comes out in July.

 

4 Comments

  1. Such a great message seasoned with the sugar of humor! Makes the medicine go down! Thanks, Carol!

  2. I’m laughing–oh, how I’m laughing! Reminds me of my then two-year-old nephew, Danny. He would patiently follow an escaped “biddy” untl it got tired, then he would pick it up and return it to its safe place.

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