Daily Devotional for July 1, 2020
Don’t Be a Chicken
Nolan and Liza followed their grandfather into the chicken yard. “These birds are ready for their dinner,” said Grandpa as the chickens clucked loudly. Nolan threw out a handful of grain, and the chickens scrambled to pick it up in their beaks and gulp it down.
One of the chickens was having a hard time getting any food. Every time it tried to eat, it was pecked by the others. “Look, Grandpa!” Nolan pointed to a small red spot on the chicken’s neck. “That chicken is hurt!” Just then, a big hen jabbed the sore, making it even larger.
Grandpa picked up the hurting chicken. “Come on, Dixie,” he said. “We’ll separate you from the others until your neck heals.” Nolan and Liza followed as Grandpa carried the squawking bird to the barn.
“Why do the other chickens peck at this one?” asked Liza.
“It’s typical chicken behavior called a pecking order,” answered Grandpa. “Bigger, stronger chickens eat their food first and often pick on other chickens that are hurt or different from the rest.”
“That’s mean!” said Liza.
“Yes, it is,” said Grandpa. He placed Dixie in a cage. “Do you know that people sometimes act just like those mean chickens?”
Liza nodded. “Sometimes kids at school get made fun of because of how they look or if they have trouble doing certain things.”
“Or if they’re from another country and talk or do things differently from the way we do here,” Nolan added.
“It’s too bad when people act like chickens,” said Grandpa. “Instead of helping others, they make the sore spots worse. But you can help heal those sore spots.”
“We can?” asked Nolan. “How?”
“By showing them the love of Jesus. He turned the pecking order upside down!”
Liza wrinkled her eyebrows. “You mean, because He died for our sins even though He’s God?”
Grandpa nodded. “Even though God is bigger and stronger than anyone, Jesus was willing to come to earth as a baby and die on a cross to rescue us from sin—just like we rescued Dixie from those mean chickens. He did that because He loves all of us—people He created to be different from one another. With His help, we can love everyone too.” • Carolyn E. Yost
How about you?
Have you made fun of other kids for being different? Have you ever been teased yourself? Picking on others because they look or act differently from you is what chickens do. Don’t be a chicken! Instead, be the kind of person Jesus was—someone who was willing to give up His place at the top to rescue all of us at the bottom. Show His love and kindness to everyone and accept their differences.
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