An Old Chicken

Reposting at request of Wanda....

An Old Chicken

You know, I hesitated to write this because it doesn't fit into the masculine role that I envision myself to be in. But the experience touched my heart in a way that I wasn't expecting.

I came home and went to let my chickens out to free range and saw one laying in the pen. I thought it was dead and knew which one it probably was. It was an old hen that has escaped from my neighbors place and made it to mine, for whatever reason. I told my neighbor that one of her chickens had come to my place and had joined the flock and she said it was no big deal and to just let it stay if it wanted to. I didn't mind but saw that it didn't lay any eggs when the spring time came around. No big deal, she certainly wasn't hurting anything other than eating a little extra feed. Anyway... that was the chicken that was lying down in my pen. There were feathers all around her because the other chickens had already started to cannibalize her. Then I saw that she was still breathing. I remembered that she had always waited at the gate to the pen every morning when I went out to feed the flock. Even after I put the grain in the container that I had for them, she would just stand there and look at me. Same way when I let them out in the evening to free range. I thought it odd but didn't give it a whole lot of thought because she looked healthy otherwise. Well, I ended up cutting her head off and burying her tonight. But that's not the end of the story.

As I was burying her, the thought came to my mind about how many people I have known in my life that have looked at me like that chicken did. She knew that she was dying and wanted some needed attention and I was too callous or too busy to give it to her.

It reminded me of when I used to visit a retirement center in Texas. I had gotten off of work late one day and stopped by because I had told a gentleman that I would stop by to see him. As I was going down the hall to his room a invalid woman cried out to me from her room and asked me to come in. I did and sat with her for, a few minute and she asked me if I would cover her feet because they were cold. I hadn't noticed because it was dark in her room but when I looked down, sure enough, they were sticking out of the covers. When I covered them up and felt her feet they were cold as ice. She thanked me and then told me she was dying. Being young, tired, late getting home to my family, and still wanting to see the gentleman that I had come there to see I dismissed her words. I found out the next day that she did indeed die that night. I could have held her hand as she was dying and given her whatever comfort I was capable of. Shoot, I could have called a nurse and maybe prolonged her life for a time.

Now is a chicken, or any animal, on the same level as a human? Of course not. But this one jarred my memory and helped me put things into perspective.
We are all going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The belief in him and how we have live our lives and treated other people because of our belief in the Lord God almighty that will determine much in the outcome of that encounter.

Hurting people are the opportunities that we are given to show God's love. A righteous person considers the life of animals according to Proverbs. How much more important are those created in His image?

These are simply a few of my thoughts that I hope will encourage others to consider the people that come into our lives. We never know what someone may be experiencing and how a kind word and an attentive ear may help them. They are opportunities to serve our God.