WINGS

By Linda J. Humes

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.                                                                                                 Psalms 91:4 (KJV)

In the area where we live, this time of the year is when you see new birth.  The weather is starting to warm, things are sprouting, trees are blooming, and baby chicks appear.

One of our hens decided to set on an egg, and there wasn’t any getting it away.  After about a month a little chirping black ball of fluff was running crazy all over the hen house with a squawking momma, in the chase – trying to collect the golf ball sized little chick and rush it to safety.

At feeding time I discovered that the momma hen could only protect the chick when it allowed her to, and once the chick ran into the outside yard, she was completely unable to guide it back in.  Every night I would find the hen and chick outside, put the chick inside the hen house, dodge the angry momma’s beak, and finally get momma and baby reunited.  Once inside the ruffled and irritated hen would spread those wings and chase that chick around until it was finally in a nest, under her wing, and settled down for the night’s sleep.

One day we had a crazy rain storm.  Icy and heavy – I forgot about the hen and chick.  When I realized the storm wasn’t going to lighten up, I went out in the dark to feed the chickens.  No momma, no baby.

I called my son to help me search and after a bit he found the hen in the outside pen against the edge of the hen house – not moving.  He picked her up and put her through the little hen door – she lay limp.  I asked about the chick, but he didn’t see it.  Then, right outside the hen door, in a covered spot, was the chick; it had fallen when he moved the hen.  The chick was completely dry and warm.  Momma had almost drowned.

We picked up the hen and dried her off.  We wrapped her in a towel and placed them in a cage under a heat lamp.  Before long that momma was talking to that chick and scolding it to stay still and warm.  The next day they looked as if nothing had ever happened.

I’ve thought a lot about that hen.  She was willing to drown to keep her chick safe and warm.   She’s still trying to get that chick to stay under her wing – but it’s running around wanting to see what life is all about.  It’s about the size of a tennis ball now, still so little, still so full of life, still so curious.  Kind of like us, don’t you think?

God is doing all He can to bring us abundant life under the shadow of His wings. He sent His Son to die for us and yet we’re running free, trying to find out about the pleasures of this world.  Thank goodness, like that hen, God loves us so much that He’s constantly trying to bring us safely back to Him.  Let me always run to the safety of His arms.

Written 4/23/2009

By Linda J. Humes

Tags: Chicken, Hidden, Protection, Psalm