Lessons from the Hen House

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:9-10 ESV). People can be so cruel to one another. The thoughtless way that we treat one another is one of the most destructive forms of behavior. Our reading this morning gives clear direction to the way we are to relate to one another. The following story illustrates this truth: Randy was spending the summer on the farm with his Grandfather. One day, he and his Grandfather went into the chicken coop, and Randy scattered a handful of grain over the floor. The chickens scrambled madly for it, but one chicken was having trouble. Every time it tried to eat, the others pecked it. Randy saw a red spot on the chicken's neck. "Look, Grandpa!" he exclaimed, "That chicken is hurt!" Just then a big rooster jabbed the sore on the neck of the chicken, making it even larger. Grandpa picked up the chicken and carried the squawking bird out of the pen. "Come on, old girl. We'll put you in a separate place until your neck heals," he said. Randy watched as Grandpa rubbed medicine into the sore. "Why do the other chickens peck this one?" he asked. "Well, Randy, I can't tell you exactly why," answered Grandpa, "but this is the way chickens act. They always pick on those who are different from the rest, and on those who are hurt." "That seems stupid," said Randy. "Right you are, Randy," said Grandpa, "but do you know that people often do the same thing?" "They do?" asked Randy, surprised, "How?" "When others have skin that is a different color, or perhaps their eyes or noses look a little different, some people make fun of them," explained Grandpa. Randy immediately thought of a boy named Darrin. Some of the other boys teased Darrin about his bright, red-orange hair. Randy was glad now that he had not joined in the teasing--but felt bad that he had not tried to stop it either. "It's too bad when people act like chickens," continued Grandpa. Randy looked up at his Grandfather with admiration. "Grandpa," he said, "what the chickens were doing to this one was cruel. I'm proud of you for helping her!" Randy learned that some people act like chickens. If a person looks differently from themselves, they pick on that person. The "picking" may take different forms, but it still hurts, and is wrong. Randy also learned that something positive can be done as his Grandfather intervened to stop the abuse from continuing. We can learn that same lesson from the hen house! Genesis 1:26-27 says God created humans in his own "image" and "likeness." So respect people no matter how they look. Refuse to show favoritism or prejudice because of someone's physical characteristics. Do what you can to promote positive attitudes between different racial groups. That's good citizenship, and good theology!