BE ON GUARD

Half of the dozen chickens we had died during the night. Our ill-fated neglect to shut the chicken coop door allowed the fox to take advantage of our chickens as a free meal. It takes little effort to walk the 200 ft. or so out to the coop. And, yet the whole family was shut up to our own frivolities - our own little private worlds.

Predators understand this mentality. When there is no guard on duty, the enemy seizes the opportunity to devour, maim, and kill. It is the one reason why many predacious animals hunt when the shafts of sunlight are dormant. A sleeping dinner is an easy target.

The most pathetic part about this whole thing is that I actually heard a chicken squawking while it was still dark in the early morning hours. I reasoned it away with some sort of stupid mumbo-jumbo in my head, completely dismissing it as a distress cry. I was, after all, enjoying my sleep. I needed the sleep and it felt good to be snug and cozy underneath my covers. Sometimes, you pay dearly for the minuscule amount of comfort that you receive in return.

My eldest daughter Gabrielle, who is a ranch hand, was the one who finally ran out of the house to stop the devouring of the chickens. She saw the fox and chased it off the property. As soon as I heard her running down the stairs, I jolted out of bed, threw on some sweats, and followed her lead.


The farm was covered with the aftermath of a massive pillow fight. This fight however, wasn’t done in play. The chickens lost. Those who were still alive were scattered and hiding. The birds were nowhere to be found, except for our one lone rooster. He is called the Count of Monte Cristo. The Count was desperately trying to call his flock back. He sat up on a rock and crowed for about an hour. They were either dead or too scared to make an appearance. The remnant resigned themselves to the fear and terror that the fox held over them.

When the sun rose to take over the darkness, the few that were left ventured out from their hiding places. Our last golden Buff Orpington had stayed near the coop. We found her staring blankly at the fence line. She was still and immovable.


My son Jeremiah was able to scoop her up because she was so traumatized. Jeremiah comforted her by softly stroking her feathers. He then put her back in the one of the nesting boxes inside the coop. Unfortunately, she did not make it through the day. Most likely she sustained some internal injuries and in addition, could not overcome the fear instilled by the predator.

For the believer this story illustrates the necessity to always Be On Guard. It's human nature to fall into a place of sustained relaxation. We are prone to resist most things that require strenuous work or effort. The paradox in all of this is that work is meant to be good for us, particularly work that requires us to be vigilant and on guard.

1 Peter 5:8 says,
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.