Cheer-leaders, Chickens and Children

That title makes me smile.

It's been a wild last 3 weeks and in the best of possible ways.

Teresa and I, and Grant, got to go to NC to be with Kimmy and Ian to await the arrival of Job Luther Lugg. Grant and I went to a marketing seminar in the middle of the time we were there and Job came after with put in the new flooring in the house and even waited until we got back from Florida. God allowed him to come at the exact right time for all of us to get to enjoy it.

Being a dad is great. Not because I get to boss people around at home but because I get to see the change that happens in the lives of people I am very close to. With Kimmy there have definitely been some roller coaster types of times- she's a girl and we sort of expect that there will be highs and lows. Watching my little girl being pregnant and then getting to be in the room, though behind a curtain, for the birth was both hard and awesome. Hard, because that's my little girl laboring. Awesome, because this is exactly what she has dreamed about almost her entire life; being a wife and a mom.

I am struck by a few things with this experience and added to this having chickens. I would expect you to ask "What does having chicken have to do with labor, delivery and grand-parenting". I'm glad you asked. I think it has much more to do than may first meet the eye, or ears.

In child labor there is almost always a birth coach. They really have nothing to do with the actual delivery. If they weren't there the child would still arrive. If they are good or bad a baby still enters the world. What is their job? Encourage the new mom and keep them focused.

So what does that have to do with chickens? Our chickens are new at laying eggs, in fact they haven't all laid even one egg yet. I would assume that as they have more egg-laying experience that this trend will not be so prevalent, but yesterday Teresa called me and told me that there was a bunch of noise coming from the coup. I had been working on some things in the coup and had stepped out to get some supplies. She went in to investigate that ruckus and one of the chickens was in the new nesting boxes "laboring" to get this egg out. All the rest of the hens were down on the ground "cheering" her on. She was being supported by her fellow hens. Much the same way as a birth coach would cheer on the mom.

Our Christian life is in some respects the same way. There are a lot of hard times and sometimes we get down and just need a little cheering on. The trials will probably come no matter if there is a cheering section or not, but it is much easier to endure the trials and hardship of life if there is someone there, who is familiar with our circumstances, to cheer us on. That is the job of the Boby.

There is another link to the spiritual aspect of this and that is there is One Who has been tempted in all ways, and yet was sinless and He is our High Priest Who is familiar with all our weaknesses, Who know exactly what we are going trough and He never leaves or forsakes us. We have a "Royal Cheer-leader" with us at all times.

As I was listening to Kimmy labor, as I watched her struggle to stay focused through many hours of contractions, as I watched Iam try to comfort her, though there is a reason they call it labor, I reminded myself that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them much more than I- which is hard to imagine but I know it is true, and He knows precisely what they need at this time.

We still have a part in the cheer-leading and that is what we should be doing, but there is One Who can comfort much more than we ever can and we must focus on Him in the hard times. Come alongside your friends in need and encourage them to look to the One who is really able to meet their need.