A Bit About Hens and Trust

As many of you already know, we have about eight hens that we keep and gather eggs from daily. We have had most of the hens for about three years, but one in particular started out as a chick that we purchased as a special pet for the kids; we call this hen, Brownie. Early this morning I went out to fill our chicken's feed bucket, and I marveled once more at the idea that of all of those hens, the one which was first a pet, who received a lot of attention and was patted, played with, etc., does not mind being petted or picked up, but the other hens are as skittish as ever and you cannot pick them up without a great deal of chaos. These same hens also started out with us from the beginning of their lives, we incubated the eggs and hatched them ourselves, or several were purchased as chicks from the local feed store; but the chicks were not tamed in the same way. Yet you would think that those hens would see us feeding them, watering, cleaning out their hen house, and being kind to them day after day-- one would think that they would somehow start to trust us more, and allow us to become close to them without them having fear. But those hens are somehow blind to our kindness, as if they simply cannot see that we will not hurt them. They simply don't trust us.

       I noticed an object lesson in this. Chickens are much like people in comparison to our relationship with God. God supplies us with everything that we have, and yet some trust, and others simply ignore or are blinded to the fact that He even exists, or that He cares. We blunder on, eating the food He supplied, taking for granted the health within which He has blessed us with, the job and home that we are given. How can we ignore such kindness to us? Why do we fail to see His hand at work in our lives? Why do we fail to trust Him? God's nature is not to be angry and mean. He is just and fair; scripture says that His love endures forever. So, there is comfort in knowing that when we are in obedience to God, we have nothing to fear. I find peace in knowing by faith, this simple fact.

 

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
-Psalms 91:2

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. -1 John 4:18