Grabbing my watercolours I went out for a walk. I was aiming to pray and listen mainly, but I did intend to paint. I took a path alongside a forest and there sitting on a grassy bank taking in the sun was a chicken. Now I’m familiar with chickens but this one was definitely out of place; abandoned or lost maybe. It was weak and hungry and my heart strings were pulled. I spoke to it but it was nervous and weakly hobbled off so I continued on my way.
I hadn’t gone far when I heard the loud aggressive cries of circling rooks! They had spotted the chicken and no doubt had intentions of plucking it’s eyes out and then going in for the prey. This was too much for me so I ran back and attempted a rescue!
I made a grab and manage to take hold but a chicken not wanting to be caught can be quite tenacious and I was left with a handful of feathers! One thing was certain – I was not going to give chase around a forest! Instead, I returned to my painting and at the same time gave the problem some consideration.
My thoughts went heavenward and I felt the Father’s heart grieving for His lost ones; those who have been abandoned or taken a wrong turn and find themselves at the mercy of predators. What would He do? He would definitely want to rescue them but not by force.
So, I devised a cunning plan driven by love for this lost thing. I would find a freind who cared, get some food and together we would plot and carry out our rescue.
End of story:
We found ourselves a happy chicken…. we fed it, talked gently to it, and then simply picked it up and took it home!
