We have a young silkie rooster that is learning how to crow. At about 4:45 in the morning, you begin to hear his bold attempts at 'cock-a-doodle-doo'. His first tries are usually fragmented, more of a 'cock-a-dud' than an full throated cock-a doodle-doo. As he warms up and keeps practicing, he eventually launches at least one complete cock-a-doodle-doo. His practice session stretches from that first hint of daylight until about 7:30am. Its annoying and loud, but it brings a strange joy to my heart. There he is just living his best life, living out his call to be what and who he is, practicing and practicing to do it right. In fact, as I sit here and write, he has noticed my husband walking in the yard and has deemed that it also an important reason to practice his crow.
I knew that I wanted to raise silkie chickens because I loved their extra floofy appearance. We already had American whites, rhode island reds and an easter egger or two- but I couldn't resist the silly silkies. So on an early spring day, when the feed store overflowed with bins of chicks of all varieties, I selected my four silkies. The teenage clerk reminded me that these were a straight run (not guaranteed to be all hens) and I told him it was fine. I selected a black one, a yellow one, a white one and a multicolored one. I went on the hope that they would all be hens (we love our fresh eggs). I named them after strong women I admired- Betty (White), Maya (Angelou), Ruth Bader Gingsbird ;) and Mary (Oliver). They spent their first several months in the garage where it was warmer. They followed our comings and goings and we watched them grow. Adorable chicks to gangly tweens, to skittish teens to young adults. Turned out that as Mary grew into who she was created to be, she was actually a Marv.
Awakened by Marv's crowing practice the other morning, I began to wonder how many of us could learn a lesson in truth and self from this little silkie chicken? Marv is unabashedly who he is. He practices and practices his crow, letting the world know he is there- a rooster in a pen full of hens. Living out his best life. He began his life misidentified as a hen, but as he came into his own, he let the world know exactly who he was.
How often do we show the world exactly who we are? We are told as followers of Christ that we are beloved, that we are created in the image of God, that we are wondrously made. But do we really live in to that reality? Do we truly, at our core, believe that we are a unique treasure? One of a kind? That there is no one else in the world that will go through life exactly how we will? What power we would each posses if we truly believed it. The power to know we are valued, that the gifts we have to offer the world are unique and necessary, that we were created because the world didn't have another one just like us.
Society wants us to fit into molds and constantly tells us we are not rich enough, thin enough, smart enough, skilled enough, loved enough, wanted enough. But what if we could turn off all that noise and just listen to Jesus who says, "you. are. enough." Could we then embrace our inner silkie chicken and welcome each day with an imperfectly perfect call, being exactly who we were created to be? It's sounds too simple to be possible- but there in lies the beauty. It is just that simple. Just like Marv's crow- it's going to take practice- frequent, annoying practice- but it really is that simple. You are enough. You are a treasure. The world needs you. Embrace your inner silkie chicken. Let the world hear your crow
- Pr. Erica
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