Outside the Box

I recently got chicks to replace a few of my older hens, and this week it was time to open the side of the box so they can start to venture out and have much more space. They really aren't as cute as they were in the beginning, but you can see their new feathers are starting to come in. Since I buy them from a local farm store, they don't have the example of their mother to follow. They are on their own. They are dependent on me and the safety of the "box". From the day I bring them home, this is home to them. Everything they need is in the box. A warm heat lamp, plenty of water, food and soft wood shavings. Life is good. They look like they don't have a care in the world. They are safe and protected.

Then the day comes that I open the box, and they can see out for the first time and they have the choice to stay in the box or come out and experience life. They can stay in the box for awhile, but eventually, they will get too big and not fit. They will not be able to flap their wings or find bugs, grass and freedom actually. They don't like it at first, they chirp quite loudly and physically shake. They hate it. They huddle all together and refuse to move. Then a few brave ones, will go down the "BIG" ramp and venture out. Rarely do they do it by themselves, they need a buddy. Once out, they find they can fly a short distance, they can scratch in the straw and there is food and water waiting on the outside as well. They also can sit on a perch in the corner if they choose. They will do this more in the evenings once they get a bit bigger.

They also get to see for the first time, that cats have been sitting right outside the door just patiently waiting to catch one and have them for their next meal.

As I watched this all unfold the other day, I was reminded of how we can stay in the box God placed us in. We can live life on our own just as we always have. Same place, doing the same thing day after day.  Or, we can be like Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Noah, Joseph, Esther, the disciples or even His own Son! When they were called to move and go to places they didn't pick, but were sent, they went. Can you imagine the bible stories if we read instead, they were called to go, but refused. Things were "safer" where they were so they stayed? Jonah left, but in the wrong direction! God used the box of a whale to get him to go in the right direction. Lives were spared because of his eventual obedience. Joseph and Esther were forced to go where they went, but they chose to make the best of the situation they were placed in and still served God. They didn't hide in their new surroundings they ventured out and were used by God.  Can you imagine, if Christ leaned over the edge of Heaven and said, "you know, I don't think I want to go there. It looks different than here, the enemy will be watching my every move, I think I will stay here".

Now, I would never for a second say life with a chicken is anything like what these individuals did, but I realized life began for these indivduals, when they left the comforts of "the box". When they left their families or took their families to lands they never had been too. Lands, that had different foods, different people, and at times, different rules.

The box may seem safe, but really it will be the death of the chicks if they stay. Life begins when they leave the box. Our life really begins when we decide we can't live life on our own, but instead when we surrender to Christ and allow him to show us the way. He even gives us a helper, the Holy Spirit to help us on this journey.We are never alone. He has so much planned for us. All we have to do is step out of the normal day to day box and trust Him for what He has planned. It won't be easier outside the box, the enemy will be watching our every move and waiting for us to slip up. But Christ will be by our side and forgiveness can be given if asked. We also can call on Him and he will fight for us! Life is so much better outside the box, but when we are in it, we have no idea what we are missing. We have no idea what our life will be like, but we do know the Shepherd who leads the way. I have also noticed they are more inclinded to come out further and further, if they see me or hear my voice. Isn't that true in our relationship with our Creator? When we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit or read a passage from the scriptures or maybe it is seeing only something He could do for us, that gives us the renewed strength to face the day.


Please choose life outside the box. Your life will never be the same. Maybe you left your original box, but now you find you aren't living life outside it to the fullest. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do next. He can open the sides of your box and show you the way to a much better way of life.