The Gimpy Hearted

This year, we ordered in 20 golden comet pullet chicks. For those of you not "chicken saavy", a golden comet is a breed of chicken and a pullet is a female. Anyway, we ordered in 20....but there's only half remaining.

There are many forces in nature that war against the life of a chick. There are predators, diseases, and gruesome accidents. And then, there's really dumb goats. This year, I have been unable to keep my chicks alive because they wander over to where the goats are (no problem, this happens all the time), and then the goats reason, at first glance, that these creatures resemble feather pillows. Almost half of my chicks have been thusly steamrolled and discovered flat and gape-mouthed by yours truly the next morning.

......all but one chick......

There is one chick that I discovered one morning that looked dead, but in fact she was simply paralyzed. I discovered that her issue was with only one of her legs, so she couldn't stand up. At this point, I realized that if she were going to die, it would be of thirst or starvation because she couldn't get to her food. Normally, I would just euthanize a chick at this point, but for some reason I felt I should try to save her. So, every day I held her over the water dish so she could drink, then I'd set her in the food dish so she could eat at will for a few hours before I'd bring her back to the water. So this went for a week or two until I realized one day that she could stand up. Her leg hadn't healed, but she had learned how to use it to prop herself. It was stiff as a board and utterly useless except for one thing--to prop herself up and push herself forward. So, onward she went daily after that, strengthening herself and relearning agility that had once come naturally to her.

Though at a disadvantage, this gimpy pullet had made herself stand out. She manages to get her food, her water, and to forage outside with her friends. She walks noticeably different and cannot roost up high at night, but she reminds me of something important...

In my life, I've been downright steamrolled by insensitive people who plow me over. We have an enemy who wants to steal our breath, kill our spirit, and destroy our hope. Chances are, we will walk away from some battles wounded. Chances are, the enemy will win some fights. But a certainty is, we don't have to forfeit our breath, spirit, or hope. We can still speak the name of Jesus with a wounded heart. We can still be renewed day by day and have a fresh spirit instilled in us. We can always hope, because there is one who defeated even the grave.

When you are steamrolled over, I challenge you to use what remaining breath you have to say:"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners." -Isaiah 61:1. If you are oppressed, you are in good company. We, the wounded and gimpy-hearted are ripe for a renewal from the Sovereign Lord. He binds up the gimpy-hearted and sets us free from those who would hold us captive under a great weight. We, in turn can speak those words of encouragement to those who are still trapped as a testimony that our Lord rescued us when we were trapped.

The things that have hurt us may leave a scar...they may make us emotionally limp. That is not a weakness. A weakness is when you lay down and declare defeat.

I honor you, the gimpy-hearted, who are not afraid to show that you've been wounded and will continue to mingle with the rest of us living life. Thank you, all my friends, who bear your testimony as a badge of honor. Thank you for sharing your struggles and your pains. Is it not great that we serve a God who frees us? Is it not greater that we serve a God who heals us from trauma so that we can proclaim His faithfulness? Ah, Lord, to be made new often seems to not mean that we will be made like we were before our battle....but to be made better. Glory to You.

Bind my wounds. Set me free. Hallelujah.