Seriously, NO!
Outfoxing the Enemy
Sir Darkington Warrior Prince
Our in-progress chicken coop has an outdoor run that is a little too shady and a little too small. Because of this, I like to let the chickens roam in the yard. Along with the extra sun, they get all kinds of good nutrition from the bugs, grass and grit when they roam. Ultimately, sunshine and nutrition equals better eggs!
Initially, our plan was to have all hens. We ended up with two roosters. This is another reason we had them roaming versus keeping them cooped up. We did not want to fuel tensions between the two boys. Darkie, pictured above, is our dark-feathered rooster, in contrast to our brightly-colored Gabe (you can read about him in an earlier newsletter).
However, roaming (free-ranging) has it’s downside. I heard squawking so I looked up to see Darkie frantically running toward me. A young fox was right on his tail, chasing him! Now, Darkie is a pretty large, chubby chicken and doesn’t run as quickly as the others. Imagine a large young rooster still growing to fit into his legs…he runs like his feet are too big! Feathers were flying while he struggled to get away!
I felt Chicken Momma rise up in me and I went running full force toward the fox and screamed, “NO!” And would you believe that young little fox stopped and looked at me? He paused, turned around and ran away as I ran after it. Then, he stopped again and looked at the other chickens! Little jerk! I screamed again! Persistent little bugger. Finally he ran back into the woods. Afterward, I wondered if foxes attack people…thankfully I didn’t think of that in the moment or I might have been too afraid to protect my flock.
I digress…so, while I was running at the fox, Darkie ran past me to safety. After the fox left, I ran toward my other chickens and found them next to a tree huddling by each other. Gabe was there, too. Funny thing about Gabe, he acted like one of the hens but then he ran at me when I turned my back (as if I was the problem). Maybe he was stressed or deceived, thinking I was the enemy. I don’t know. Sometimes I get so focused on chicken psychology.
That day, Darkie became a hero. It seemed like Darkie distracted the fox from the other chickens by running away from the flock and risking his own life! So, needless to say, Gabe went to a friend’s farm and Darkie earned his spot protecting the hens. Hence his new name: Sir Darkington, Warrior Prince.
But isn’t that just like the devil? Like the fox, he tries to steal from us, and when he can’t, he persists in finding other ways to attack. I’m sharing this because there is power in “NO!” We can resist. The enemy is a liar and a deceiver. We do not need to stand idly by while the devil tries to steal our families, our country or our joy. We may not always know the best strategy, or how to plan for tragedy, but we can start with NO when the enemy shows up. Then, God will show us the rest!
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7
So, resist my warrior friends…and stay free!
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