THE ROOSTER AND THE SUNRISE

THE ROOSTER AND THE SUNRISE

When we were growing up, we grew or raised most of our food stuff.  To this date, I can’t grow a garden, I don’t care for milk, and I don’t like chicken. 

The reason behind the gardening is that I didn’t pay attention, and just did what I was told.  My dislike for milk had other reasons. We had to go collect the cows from the pasture, and I was afraid of the bull. Then we hand milked the cows in small enclosed stalls, while we were hot and sweaty with the flies buzzing around and her tail slapping our face.  After that we would take the milk and skim it or process it through a cheese cloth and put it in a refrigerator that had seen better days and never got it very cold.  The smell of hot milk has never left my nostrils.

Aw, now for the chickens.  We had a flock that had to be fed and housed every day, along with gathering the eggs.  Now that wasn’t too bad a chore, unless there was a snake in the nests.  The yucky part came when it was time to kill and clean the bird for human consumption.  Not too sure we ever got that part down, and other than to tell you it started by wringing its neck until dead, I’m not going into the full details in fear that you might not ever eat chicken again! 

One of the things about having chickens is that every morning that old rooster would announce the arrival of a new day.  He crowed, and strutted, just like he was taking credit for the sunrise.

When my first child arrived I’m afraid that, like that old rooster, I tried to take the credit!  I would spend countless hours looking at him, admiring my handiwork and saying to myself, “Just see what I have created!”  Well, it didn’t take long for God to let me know that I didn’t have a thing to do with the creation of that child any more than the rooster thinking he created the sun.

We as Christians sometimes take on that same attitude.  We announce that we have arrived! We peck at the others in the flock telling them how to act or behave, forgetting Gods part in our salvation.  The Church as a whole has also taken on the attitude of crowing and strutting, letting the community and other churches know how well they are doing.  For example, we have had this many people saved, we had so much $$ contributed, we are the best place for you, etc. 

We all need to be careful, because God created everything, is the salvation of everything, is the provider for everything, and if we are not careful, He is going to pluck our tail feathers, and wring out neck to let us know that He and His Son is in control of the sun and His creations!

Candid Conversations With Carolyn Lee