The other day I went out to say hello, and check for some eggs. When I opened the egg door they all gather around, and one of the black chickens pecked at Honey and made it very clear that Honey was not welcome. Now, this immediately tainted my view of that black chicken.
When I bought chickens I chose them for their egg laying abilities and chose breeds that were known for their friendliness. Out of all of my chickens, the two black chickens are the most productive and the most friendly. They are always the first to come say hello when I visit the coop. They do everything right, except for one thing... they treat Honey like dirt.
Since I have noticed this I have made a special mission to take Honey under my wing. Since she is neglected by her peers, I will treat her as a pet. Today the kids were thrilled when I came into the house with a chicken in my arms, especially Juneau, who did not want to say goodbye.
Honey is beautiful, she is somewhat friendly and loving, but nothing spectacular. Not compared to the lovingness of the black chickens, but she is being mistreated. I do not even know if she is a very good egg producer. Except for those stinkin' adorable fuzzy feet, there is not much that would set her apart as a favorite, as far as the things that I wanted in a chicken.
Tonight when I went into Bear's room to say goodnight, I saw his bible on his table and picked it up. I opened to Luke 11: 39-42. I read trying to glean what I was supposed to learn. It did not hit me until I was in the kitchen thinking about chickens.
In Luke 11:39-42 Jesus is hassling some Pharisees. The pharisees are being scolded for "cleaning the outside of the cup and dish", but inside being "full of greed and wickedness." Jesus advises them to "be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."
So I think I have finally found names for my black chickens, I think I will call them the Pharisees. There are two of them, and I never had names for them. I think one of them is named Michelle, an inside joke of Bear's.
These two black chickens have done everything right on the outside, but on the inside they lack love for their fellow chicken, Honey.
There is also another layer to this story, a girl I know is also named Honey, and God is working on me with that one. If she were a chicken, she would not be a very good egg layer. She would not even be one of the friendlier chickens, but she would probably be a loner and she is hurting right now. Even if she had adorable fuzzy feet it would make things a tad easier, but alas... God beckons, and now He know I know it is Him, and there is no getting out of it now.
