Am I Raising Kids or Chickens?

Letting our children exercise their wings, take flight, and soar to the heights God intended for them.

If you would have told me before I got my chickens I would be over protective of them, I would have laughed and said absolutely NO WAY! But here I am, an overbearing, chicken lover afraid to let her chickens out of their chicken mansion. Every UGLY possibility that could go wrong has crossed my mind…will they wander to far and get lost, will they get strangled by a vicious snake, will they get their head taken off by a sneaky bird, will they go to the road and get ran over??? EVERY SINGLE  THOUGHT BAD, BAD, BAD!!!

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears."

Psalm 34:4

Since they were little chicks in the brooder, I have been training them to my voice with a cute little tune…here chickee, chickee, chickeeeeeee! It was so amazing to watch them run to one side of the brooder, popping their little heads up, looking for me. They were in my living room almost three weeks before my husband moved them to the garage. 

{I would have EASILY kept them in the house} 

That was a hard move. Moving them to the chicken mansion was even harder! I don't think I slept a wink that first night. And then to find Lucy, who I nursed back to health, dead the next morning with two other chickens. I was beside myself. If they couldn't survive in the coop, how on earth was I suppose let them FREE RANGE?

When I daydreamed about having chickens, I pictured them in my yard, playing with my children, enjoying life on our farm. There was no Chicken Prison. Well, the day finally came. I'd like to say it was my idea and they were too timid to venture out, but no. Opening the coop door, they made it clear it was time to soar as they spread their wings, took flight and flew right out of the coop. One by one they were escaping my umbrella of protection. I wasn't ready to let go, but it was time.

What was I thinking? Letting fear hold my chickens captive! Today, I smiled as I watched my 27 chickens FREE RANGE from my kitchen window. Happy Chickens for sure. AND what do I want more than happy chickens…Happy Children. God showed me today, it's time to let go of my fear and let my children live as they soar to new heights God has purposed for them.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love."

1 John 4:18