The Rescue of Owl Chicken Part Two

Hmm, I guess this is how life is now; dark, cramped, alone. Yes, imagine you are Owl Chicken; one moment you're trying to get comfortable for sleep, then next you're shoved aside, falling down a sharp drop into darkness. Utter darkness. Solitary darkness, although you can hear peeps and tiny clucks above you. The rest of the flock is above you, but now your world is altered.

Is that how those abducted by ICE feel in detention centers? Snatched from their lives, they languish in facilities where their humanity is devalued by deplorable living conditions. Or how trans veterans are being forced into retirement and denied full benefits after loyally serving this nation. Any number of situations can be listed, people being maltreated for a variety of reasons that the current administration have imposed due to cruelty, bias, and worse. The current American administration is displaying distinct hatred to segments of this nation without remorse or apology, despite what God made know through Moses. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. Exodus 23:9

What did Owl think as she waited, hearing familiar voices and sounds quite jarring, as my husband used a circular saw to cut into the wall. She had no notion of what could possibly next occur, she's just a pullet, ten weeks old at the time. Adults in America who are being mistreated, however, comprehend the indignities being perpetrated upon them, how humiliating and frightening their circumstances have become. Will there be Medicare for seniors so they can receive necessary medical treatments? What about life-saving vaccinations for all ages of our society? And the cost of food and other utilities, will those continue to rise?

As Owl sat in the dark, did she wonder: Welp, this is my life now, this small, cramped space with no light. Did she recall the previous day exploring the run, nibbling on grass, pecking for feed, dipping her beak in water. Did she remember snuggling with her chicken sisters in the straw or taking a dustbath in the open air? Were her thoughts centered on those final seconds before she fell, merely trying to get comfortable to sleep, then suddenly her world changed irrevocably, what it must have felt like to a young chicken in the dark, alone and forgotten.

How millions of Americans are feeling from the ugly callousness of a government who cares nothing for people, only for profits. An administration so selfish and mean to remove all mentions of slavery from national parks. Leaders so focused on power and greed that all their intentions seek to erase those thought lesser; the poor, minorities, the vulnerable.

The poor, minorities and the vulnerable aren't worth it, these leaders believe. Only those white, rich, straight, and cisgendered matter. And especially those who are men.

Jesus Christ rebuked the teachers of the law who complained about the company Christ kept, that of tax collectors and sinners. Christ said: Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me. I have found my lost sheep.' Luke 15:1-6

Chickens on their newly improved wall

That's how my husband and I felt about finding Owl! Yes we had seven other chickens, but no way could we ignore one thought lost. That the current administration claims to be Christian makes their deplorable behaviors even more odious. And starkly defines the baseness of their actions when juxtaposed against the authentic love God has for ALL PEOPLE.

Owl in the run.

God loves everyone, chickens included. Owl continues to strut her healthy self around the coop and run. Boards were quickly laid into place so no other chickens would suffer Owl's plight. And now I have said my piece about the true meaning of living peaceably with one's neighbors, who we are called to love as much as we love ourselves. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:14-15