“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

Parents’ Protection

A couple of years ago, I had a hen who dearly wanted to be a mother. I normally took the eggs each afternoon, but she was so persistent in sitting on her nest, even when it was empty. She would peck at my hand each day when I put it under her to take the eggs, so I finally relented and let her have her clutch of babies. Several hens would lay eggs in the same nest, so I just let her have a nice amount. I marked each egg with the date, knowing her wait was about three weeks. She was so faithful as she sat on her nest, rarely getting off to grab a bite to eat and a drink of water. I knew she loved her babies even before they were born.

Her eggs all hatched within a day or two of each other and I separated her from the rest of the chickens to give these tiny feather balls time to grow strong with their mother. One day to my shock I saw that a squirrel had gotten into the enclosure. It just wanted the food, but the hen was in pure protection mode. Fascinated, I watched as she stood between the intruder and her babies. To my shock, she squawked and jumped on that squirrel’s back, grabbed his head in her beak, and kept pulling its hair until the squirrel broke away and got out of there. She made a soft sound and all her babies ran to her and she tucked them under her wings. I, of course, was laughing!

This brought to mind so many Bible verses for me…

  • “Hide me under the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8b).
  • “… Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” (Ruth 2:12b).
  • “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).
  • “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your  children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you are not willing” (Luke 13:34).

I think how much God loves us and wants to nurture and protect us even when He is forming us in our mother’s womb, how He wants to always be our place of safety, and how He will fight for us, wanting us to run to Him in times of fear or uncertainty. I also think of how comforting and safe it would be to snuggle up to Him so close and know that as long as I am protected by Him, the bad things in my life cannot overtake me.

“Lord, as adults we often forget that we can run to You, as children run to their parents for protection and comfort. Give us the hearts of children, Your precious children. I visualize Your arms opened wide as I rush to You, desiring to be close and safe, knowing You will never let me go. Thank You for Your love. Amen.”