One of our turkey hens has been sitting on 11 eggs for a few
weeks now. On August 15th, Gary ’s
and my wedding anniversary, she gifted us with two poults. The next day, she hatched two more. She now has quite a job on her hands. She desires to stay sitting on the remaining eggs,
yet is trying to keep an eye on four active little ones! Yesterday, when we went out to see if there
were any new arrivals, the babies had found their way through a hole in the
coop and were playing in the grass! They
marched in and out of the coop, trying to decide, “Is the grass truly greener
on the other side?” In the meantime, momma
paced nervously from the eggs remaining in the nest to the edge of the coop where
she could see her babies.
Just a few days ago, I saw a beautiful, but likely hungry
hawk in the woods near the barn. Last
spring, villainous coons destroyed our entire chicken flock, except one! While it was fun to watch the baby turkeys
playing, Momma turkey is obviously aware of the dangers that her babies face
when they are away from her protection. I
knew that we needed to do something quickly to make sure that the babies
remained under her wing.
As I pondered the situation, I was reminded of the many
times in my life that I had one foot on each side of the fence; playing in the
green grass, yet staying near enough to my Protector to be assured that He was
still there. Not unlike the turkey poults,
I really had no clue of the dangers lurking around the corner, just waiting for
the right moment:
Your
enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour
(1 Peter 5:8).
As much as she may have felt compelled to do so, momma hen
could not venture into the dangerous territory to rescue her babies. She was penned-in. Consequently, her babies were able to get out
of her sight and were a predator to come; momma peering through the coop would
have been no help at all! Our Creator,
on the other hand, is so powerful and sovereign that there is comfort in
knowing that we can’t get out of His sight.
We cannot go any place where He is not present.
Where
can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I
flee from your presence? If I go up to
the heavens, You are there. If I make my
bed in the depths, You are there. If I
rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even
there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm
139:7-10).
We can be assured that when
we wander off into the enticing tall grass,
He knows where we are.
But, like a “game” of Hide and Go Seek,
He will come “looking” for;
and “find” us.
And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save
those who are lost (Luke 19:10 ).
And He will provide protection from the predators who are
watching and waiting while we play.
Surely
he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and
under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and
rampart (Psalm 91:3-4).
A “game”? How dare I
call it a “game”? Are you retorting, “Playing
where the predator can snatch us is not a game”?
While it may not be a game in
the way in which we understand games, if there is no person, nor power which
shall ever be able to overturn those whom God has chosen, isn’t evil only a pawn in
God’s hand?
(John 10:27-29).
I’m not saying that we should
all go out and purposefully “play” in evil territory; however,
I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8: 38-39).
Whole-Heartedly,
Bonnie
P.S. Please
feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder
or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/. You may also contact me at:
Bonnie
Jaeckle
In Search
of the Whole-Hearted Life
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