Henny Penny’s Great Reminders

I’ve used my chickens before as great reminders of things I’ve learned. Today, our lesson came from my chicken, Henny Penny.

Let’s begin by saying my chickens are an odd bunch. We’ve raised them with a light on in their coop 24/7. For no other reason, it’s just easier than always having to mess with the plugs. Because of this, if the light is unplugged for any reason and it gets dark, they will not go into their coop.

 

It so happened one night, after it was quite dark, I headed out to close them in, and their light was unplugged, and they were chilling outside. I turned their light back on and scooted them in for the night. After the door closed, I headed inside the coop to collect the eggs. Usually, I don’t do a head count nightly, but I have accidentally shut out one chicken or another outside, so one night, as usual. I counted. 1,2,3…14,15… “Wait, there should be 16.” Counted again and recounted. Nope, still 15, where is my white Henny Penny? She wasn’t with the rest. Oh no, what if something got her?”

 

I hurried back inside to grab a flashlight. If anything, I need to know if I have a dead bird lying around somewhere. Walking back outside, I began to psych myself up to deal with whatever I found. Now, the outside part of their coop wraps around the back of the barn to the other side. Unfortunately, there is only a small door to that part of the coop (we had separated chickens when raising flocks a year apart), and the access door has been blocked with an overgrown bush.

I share that because as I was shining my flashlight around, I went to that side, and there was Henny Penny alive and sitting on top of stacked bricks. I quickly headed to that side of the barn, hoping to get her down because I was unable to reach her. She tried to hop down a few times, but the unknown and the darkness in front of her kept her hesitating. I kept trying to reach her through the small openings in the fence, but couldn’t, and I kept shining the small light at her and the ground.

Eventually, she hopped down, but now we had another problem. As much as my flock loves me, I am still a human, and they run the other way. As she approached the small opening and the light, she’d see me and would back away from me, and again, I couldn’t reach her. Unable to chase her, I did the only thing I could: I stepped away, backwards, so she could see and follow the light. She liked that and kept following the light as I walked her back to the entrance of the coop. Once she saw the open door, she went right in, safe again, with the other chickens.

So, this story reminded me, and maybe you too, of some things from the Bible. I’ll share what I thought as I walked back to the house.

 

First, I thought about the parable of the lost sheep. I could understand how the shepherd felt. Sure, she’s just one chicken, and I had 15 more, but she is more than one chicken. She is part of my flock. I’ve had her since she was a little bitty chick; she is mine. Even if I found her dead, I still needed to find her. If she was hurt or lost, I needed to do what I could to help her.

 

This is what Jesus is trying to teach us when He spoke the parable to begin with. Sure, there are millions of Christians in this world. What is just one or two that are lost? Well, we know as fellow Christians that is an unkind thought, and most of us don’t think that way. As much as we do our part to help show Jesus to others, Jesus is in the business of saving all who are lost. Good or bad, every soul on this earth matters to Him. Until the day of His return, He will go out and search for the lost and those who are seeking a Savior. He is our Shepherd, and He will do His best to bring all who choose home with Him.

The second thought that came to mind, once I found Henny Penny, was the light. When she was in complete darkness, she stayed in one place, unable to see how easy it was to get home, had she just jumped down. Once she saw my light, she was sure of herself and how to hop down. Then, once she saw the light moving, it was easy to find her way home.

Jesus tells us that He is the Light of the World. When we choose Him, we don’t have to walk around in darkness anymore. His light will be our guide to not only help us navigate through this chaotic world, but it will also lead us to our promised home in heaven.

Isn’t it wonderful how we can find simple reminders in God’s creation that are all around us? Through Henny Penny, I am reminded that the Lord loves me so much that when I feel lost or my path is unseen, He is there, making sure I find my way home. I am also reminded that even if the chaos of this world keeps getting darker, I have Jesus as my light to guide me safely home. There will be times of struggle, trials overwhelming, or, at the most, feel unending. In our sorrow, tears, or frustrations, we only need to look to Jesus, and He will guide us through it all.

‘When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit and trust the engineer. Trust God today, no matter how dark your situation. God says, “You are coming out.” Amen!’ -Unknown

Henny Penny just sat still on those bricks, trusting that I’d find her, and because she is one of my flock, I didn’t throw in the towel and say, “Well, I have 15 more.” I went and found her, then got her home safely. Jesus will do the same for you. Be still and trust God each day.