Guest Post: Jamie Isaacs

My friend's daughter, Jamie, wrote this article and I wanted my readers to have a chance to read -- and learn -- from it.

I took Ethan to the pet store to see the baby ducks and chicks. They were in two huge storage containers -- chicks in one and ducks in the other.

 

The bright yellow ducks were so adorable and sweet looking! They just waddled around in a tight little bunch and chirped at their visitors. The chicks, on the other hand -- what a difference!  I thought something was wrong because the blood was running down one poor little chick's tail feathers, coloring his white feather crimson. I watched in horror as the other chicks pecked repeatedly at the hurt bleeding chick; they were all chirping, but the hurt chick chirped really loud with pain every time his brothers and sister would peck his wounds. I couldn't bear to watch too much, so I found the sales clerk, and reported the incident!  She told me that they pick on the bigger chicks and they have to separate the hurt chicks from the rest of the brood until their wounds heal.  She never rescued the wounded chick while I was there. I couldn't take hearing and seeing that poor little chick get pecked on by his brothers and sister -- so we left the store.

 

Later the thought came to me how much we, as Christians, are like those little chicks. We see somebody who is prettier, smarter, skinnier, has more money, has everything we want in life and we feel like life is not fair. So to compensate for our own lack of "whatever," we put them down, say hurtful things or, in chicken terms, we "peck" at them, trying to make ourselves feel better. Here is a real life example for you:

 

Jadyn looked beautiful today -- hair curled, fancy Easter dress, beautiful shoes with some rhinestones and (barely) heels; plus, she is beautiful on the inside where it matters most, but another little girl told her, "Your face is ugly!"   It hurt Jadyn's heart. I tried to explain to her, "That girl LOVES to have fancy dresses and look like a princess; she was jealous of you because you looked so beautiful, and she didn't have a beautiful princess dress nor her hair curled."

 

Sometimes, we will see our brothers or sisters in Christ going through one of the hardest times of their life. Instead of loving and praying for them, we point fingers, call names, or get angry at them for letting us down. We "peck" their open wounds with judgmental words. They need us to pray, and to love them while they are broken and bleeding.  Instead, many times we fail.  In a spiritual sense we "peck our brother and sister to death."

 

I guess as I sit here sleepless tonight my prayer is, "God, it's not for me to understand the actions of others; I didn't give my life for them -- Jesus did.  If Jesus with His wisdom and mercy forgives or  picks up one who is hurting, who am I to gossip, judge, or feel bitterness? Help me to have a burden for those that are hurting, those that have fallen, not 'peck them to death,' but to help 'pick them back up.'  Amen."

I am sure you all hope we don't get pigs anytime soon -- I might start getting Life Lessons from the Hogs!

 

 

 

I need Thee, O Lord, for a curb on my tongue; when I am tempted to making carping criticisms and cruel judgements, keep me from speaking barbed words that hurt, and in which I find perverted satisfaction. Keep me from unkind words and from unkind silences. Restrain my judgements. Make my criticisms kind, generous, and constructive. Make me sweet inside, that I may be gentle with other people, gentle in the things I say, kind in what I do. Create in me that warmth of mercy that shall enable others to find Thy strength for their weakness, Thy peace for their strife, Thy joy for their sorrow, Thy love for their hatred, Thy compassion for their weakness. In thine own strong name, I pray. Amen.    ~Peter Marshall

 

Linked to

I love Blogging

Hop, Skip and Jump

Friendly Wednesday