We have a hen who gets broody. Her greatest desire seems to be a good mama. As city ordinance prohibits us having a rooster to accommodate her desire for motherhood, we bought two, day old chicks. That night when she was sleeping on her barren nest, we put those babies beneath her wings. The next morning when we checked on the three of them, she seemed as pleased as punch to show us her babies. It was if she were saying, "Seeeee, I told you I was going to be a mama."
She took such pride in her wee ones. She taught them to scratch, led them to the raspberry plants, showed them the newly mowed grass clippings, water sources, and most importantly, to come when she would call. They stayed by her side and she protected them. If there was danger in the form of a summer storm, or a prowling cat or skunk, she would call to them with her special cluck. They would come running under her wings and were kept safe. They thrived under her loving care.
She is now on her second set of baby chicks. These too were placed under wings in the dead of night. Once again she seemed thrilled to be a mama. However, these babies would not heed to her special cluck. She would call and call while watching and waiting for them to come to her and they would not. These independent babies did not understand the peril they were in nor did they seem to care. Eventually we intervened and put them in the rabbit cage. There they eat, drink, and watch from captivity the antics and abilities of the free range hens. They have no idea what they are missing. If we can keep them safe one day they will be large enough to join the others. However, they will have missed the protection of a loving mama. They will have to figure things out on their own. They will struggle. Not because they didn't have a mama, but because they refused to heed her call. She often lingers by their cage, hoping perhaps they will show an interest in her and her wisdom, but they never do.
As I watch these chicks I think back to the book of Matthew chapter 23:7 where Jesus says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."
He will call. He will gather. He will protect. He will love. But He will never force. We are forever invited to come unto Him. My little red hen has underscored for me the importance of agency and the never ending love of the Savior. Jesus gently calls to us with arms outstretched. His protection will see us through the dangers and storms of this life which will surely come. --as we come unto Him.
