“Mom, can we have a horse? It would be so fun to ride.” No!
“Mom, can we get a goat? Fresh milk would be great.” No!
“Mom, can we get a turtle? They're small and quiet.” No!
We've all heard these requests from our kids when they are young. In spite of breaking their little hearts, we assertively declare our answer, knowing our limits as well as their level of responsibilities. However, even when our kids get older, we may still have to set the record straight. Like last year. My 27 year old, married son asked if we (his dad and I) would let him have chickens! Yes, chickens! On OUR property, not his! Guess what my answer was...”No!”
“Come on, Mom! Organic eggs would be so healthy for everyone in the family. We'll only raise a few at a time.”
“Who's going to tend to “your” chickens, son?” I asked, trying to remain calm and logical.
“I'll come out and feed them” my adult son stated.
“Every day?” I inquired, remembering his promises to care for the fish he won at the county fair. We know how that ended.
“Well, since you and Dad would benefit from the eggs, you could help.”
“What about the chicken poop in the yard? Someone has to clean that up and it won't be me” I asserted.
“They don't poop much.” Came a syrupy but manipulative reply.
“But they still poop and that is too much in our yard. Your little sisters play out there.” I said.
The conversation drifted off to another subject until the next time my son visited. This time he came to the house with a project that he wanted to show off. Along with another friend of his, they built a premium chicken coop with a design they found on-line. I have to admit it was impressive. Two stories, the second floor for roosting, with a walk up, tiered ladder, even. The first floor, of course, was for eating and you know what else. As a nurturing mother, I praised my adult son for his handiwork and then asked “Where do you plan to keep this chicken coop?”
“Here, Mom” he said with that familiar face of seeming innocence. “Dad said it was okay.”
“What? No way! Dad knows how I feel about this.”
I excused myself to go find the man of the house and asked “Did you say it was okay for him to have that here to raise chickens?”
“Calm down, dear” my adoring husband declared. “That's not exactly what I told him. I agreed it would be cool to have fresh eggs every morning and that the girls would get a kick out of having chickens in the yard. I guess he took that as a 'yes'.”
“No!” “No!” “No!” I insisted. “I do not want chickens in my yard. I don't care how fresh the eggs are and I'll take the girls to the county fair so they can see live chickens in action there!”
He knew not to press the issue. Little hints were dropped every so often but that was it.
While we were gone on vacation this summer with our daughters, Tess and Hope, an interesting situation unfolded.
Our son and his wife and a few of their friends were enjoying a cup of coffee outside a local Starbuck's in our nearby busy city. They saw something in one of the bushes. It was something alive and trapped and struggling to get out of the bush. None of the men wanted to approach it but one of the young wives bravely looked directly into the bush along the busy street where traffic was rushing past and what does she find? It's something black with a speck of red on its head. Its wings are flapping and its three pronged toes are trying to get a grip on its position. Sure enough. It's a chicken! They have rescued a chicken who has lost its way in the city! Not on a quiet, dusty farm road. Oh, no. This is city traffic, city lights and a busy coffee shop but no one else has noticed. The chicken most definitely had to cross a few roads to get here.
The group of friends have a great laugh over the fact they have found a chicken in a bush. Now what? Guess who knows the solution? Yes, my son! He says with glee, “Hey! I built a chicken coop last year and I'll just take this chicken to my parents' house. It will be safe there.”
He called my husband and let him know what was going on, but did I get the heads up before getting back from vacation? Oh, no, of course not. It was going to be a surprise! Let mom find out when she gets home; we don't want to spoil her vacation....
It didn't take long for me to notice the coop had been slightly moved and that there was SOMETHING moving in it! “WHAT IS THIS?” I shouted? “No! No! No! I said NO CHICKENS!”
And then the unfolding of the story began. “But mom, it was stuck in a bush....in the city....it would have gotten run over....God must have sent it to us....”
“Don't bring God into this” I thought. But then again, why not?
As a follower of God's Son, Jesus Christ, I know that the Bible commands us to be patient with others. In the book of Colossians it says, “As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
This means that in spite of the lack of regard shown to me (from my perspective) and the fact that as the mother of the household that my wishes were not respected, and that I now have a chicken living in my yard, that I must be humble and forgive those who have offended me in this. After all, it's not a horse or a goat or something worse!
This chicken actually may have been sent by God to teach me a lesson in forgiveness. We don't always get our way within our families. We must learn to be humble and not prideful in our place of authority or leadership when it comes to disputable matters. We must put on kindness and compassion and gentleness. Even if it ruffles our feathers.
Not squawking over this,
Nina
http://www.ninafuller.org/
http://www.specialstrenth.com/
nina@specialstrength.com
“Mom, can we get a goat? Fresh milk would be great.” No!
“Mom, can we get a turtle? They're small and quiet.” No!
We've all heard these requests from our kids when they are young. In spite of breaking their little hearts, we assertively declare our answer, knowing our limits as well as their level of responsibilities. However, even when our kids get older, we may still have to set the record straight. Like last year. My 27 year old, married son asked if we (his dad and I) would let him have chickens! Yes, chickens! On OUR property, not his! Guess what my answer was...”No!”
“Come on, Mom! Organic eggs would be so healthy for everyone in the family. We'll only raise a few at a time.”
“Who's going to tend to “your” chickens, son?” I asked, trying to remain calm and logical.
“I'll come out and feed them” my adult son stated.
“Every day?” I inquired, remembering his promises to care for the fish he won at the county fair. We know how that ended.
“Well, since you and Dad would benefit from the eggs, you could help.”
“What about the chicken poop in the yard? Someone has to clean that up and it won't be me” I asserted.
“They don't poop much.” Came a syrupy but manipulative reply.
“But they still poop and that is too much in our yard. Your little sisters play out there.” I said.
The conversation drifted off to another subject until the next time my son visited. This time he came to the house with a project that he wanted to show off. Along with another friend of his, they built a premium chicken coop with a design they found on-line. I have to admit it was impressive. Two stories, the second floor for roosting, with a walk up, tiered ladder, even. The first floor, of course, was for eating and you know what else. As a nurturing mother, I praised my adult son for his handiwork and then asked “Where do you plan to keep this chicken coop?”
“Here, Mom” he said with that familiar face of seeming innocence. “Dad said it was okay.”
“What? No way! Dad knows how I feel about this.”
I excused myself to go find the man of the house and asked “Did you say it was okay for him to have that here to raise chickens?”
“Calm down, dear” my adoring husband declared. “That's not exactly what I told him. I agreed it would be cool to have fresh eggs every morning and that the girls would get a kick out of having chickens in the yard. I guess he took that as a 'yes'.”
“No!” “No!” “No!” I insisted. “I do not want chickens in my yard. I don't care how fresh the eggs are and I'll take the girls to the county fair so they can see live chickens in action there!”
He knew not to press the issue. Little hints were dropped every so often but that was it.
While we were gone on vacation this summer with our daughters, Tess and Hope, an interesting situation unfolded.
Our son and his wife and a few of their friends were enjoying a cup of coffee outside a local Starbuck's in our nearby busy city. They saw something in one of the bushes. It was something alive and trapped and struggling to get out of the bush. None of the men wanted to approach it but one of the young wives bravely looked directly into the bush along the busy street where traffic was rushing past and what does she find? It's something black with a speck of red on its head. Its wings are flapping and its three pronged toes are trying to get a grip on its position. Sure enough. It's a chicken! They have rescued a chicken who has lost its way in the city! Not on a quiet, dusty farm road. Oh, no. This is city traffic, city lights and a busy coffee shop but no one else has noticed. The chicken most definitely had to cross a few roads to get here.
The group of friends have a great laugh over the fact they have found a chicken in a bush. Now what? Guess who knows the solution? Yes, my son! He says with glee, “Hey! I built a chicken coop last year and I'll just take this chicken to my parents' house. It will be safe there.”
He called my husband and let him know what was going on, but did I get the heads up before getting back from vacation? Oh, no, of course not. It was going to be a surprise! Let mom find out when she gets home; we don't want to spoil her vacation....
It didn't take long for me to notice the coop had been slightly moved and that there was SOMETHING moving in it! “WHAT IS THIS?” I shouted? “No! No! No! I said NO CHICKENS!”And then the unfolding of the story began. “But mom, it was stuck in a bush....in the city....it would have gotten run over....God must have sent it to us....”
“Don't bring God into this” I thought. But then again, why not?
As a follower of God's Son, Jesus Christ, I know that the Bible commands us to be patient with others. In the book of Colossians it says, “As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
This means that in spite of the lack of regard shown to me (from my perspective) and the fact that as the mother of the household that my wishes were not respected, and that I now have a chicken living in my yard, that I must be humble and forgive those who have offended me in this. After all, it's not a horse or a goat or something worse!
This chicken actually may have been sent by God to teach me a lesson in forgiveness. We don't always get our way within our families. We must learn to be humble and not prideful in our place of authority or leadership when it comes to disputable matters. We must put on kindness and compassion and gentleness. Even if it ruffles our feathers.
Not squawking over this,
Nina
http://www.ninafuller.org/
http://www.specialstrenth.com/
nina@specialstrength.com
1 comment:
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