According to the Bible, Janice Williams and Fred Baldwin became one. However, according to world population calculations, we remained two. Our contribution to the world population stopped at three. Those three “ones” became six on the population density map. The six added, in time, ten more humans to the world’s population, for a total of 18. It is way too early to anticipate any additional contributions to the map.
One of my greatest satisfactions in life is that my children’s spouses have become emotionally indistinguishable from my biological offspring. Not only has the Biblical promise of oneness in marriage been fulfilled, but there is also oneness within our clan. While it is gratifying to put that into words, it has nothing to do with what prompted this pondering. My daughter, who is wedded to my son, sent me a picture of the interior of her chicken coop last night.
How many people do you know who have had relatives send them a picture of the interior of their chicken coop? I am a highly favored father!
The truth is that Leah did not send me a picture of a chicken coop but of a beam of light that happened in her chicken coop. When I first saw the picture sent via our family text group, I only saw the feeder hanging by a once-white chain. That chain was highlighted by the darkness of the hens’ nests on the wall. Her coop picture did not have the same pleasing optical appearance as the ones in Loonie Tunes’ Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. (The longer I dealt with people, the more the cartoon character became a vivid representation of a personality type. Humorous on the big screen but not so much in the big picture.)
Leah is full of life, so I wonder just what the chicken coop’s interior was supposed to say to me. My first thought was about what an ugly, nasty place for one of my favorite foods to originate. (I mean eggs, not chicken noodle soup.) Leah and I had a good time exchanging texts last night about the picture.
This morning, I woke up with the picture on my mind. My heart is still enjoying the picture and the exchange, but this blog post was also being birthed. As I process this poultry housing preponderant, I am excited about what this blog will develop into. This is one of those musings that starts in one place, and I have no idea where it will end up.
One of the physical attributes of light is that the light itself cannot be seen. Only when the light is refracted or reflected can a light beam be seen. That amazes me! At night, the sky is black not because there are no beams of light but because there is nothing to reflect them. It is dark where I stand because of the shadow of the earth. But beyond the shadow, the beams of light are blazing by our planet at, well, the speed of light. While I am cursed with the impairment of my mobility by the darkness, people on the other side of our planet are praising the gift of the light of day. We have confidence that darkness will move off of us and the security light will bless our living once again. So, we live our days oscillating between security and insecurity, good days and bad days, depending on how much light we behold.
Our sun is always shining; it’s the shadows that threaten us. A hole in the wall allows light to pierce the darkness of the coop, giving the space a little ambient light. That’s what the followers of Jesus are to the world living in darkness. Both our pleasures and our pains reflect the presence of God’s Light. Do not despair in your dark days! Do not get puffed up on the good days! From God’s perspective, both serve the same purpose: demonstrating His love for humanity.
There is another thought: Only where the light beam shines is the contamination in the air revealed. Do not be afraid or ashamed when the light of Truth shines on your life. The exhibition is there to clear the air, not to assassinate your well-being. God never exposes a sin that He does not also provide a means and assistance for a complete reversal to righteousness. Do not be dismayed!
One more thought and advice: always hold your breath when entering a chicken coop! It’s okay to exhale, but never inhale! Maybe keep your eyes closed, too. Brush off your clothes before reentering the house. And leave your shoes on the stoop! Other than that, you are good to go. (Having written those last few lines, I think there is a message here about what Jesus came to do for us.)
Have fun with Leah’s chicken coop picture. I have!
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, The Message)
Baldwin Heirlooms 