Wrong Eggs Darling
One of my layer hens has gone broody. And so, since we don’t have a rooster, I got some fertile eggs to stick under her, so she can hatch some chicks. All was going well, until now…
Merely three days into the sit, I went to check on her and found her sitting on the wrong eggs! The eggs she was sitting on were freshly laid, unfertilized eggs that the other hens had laid this morning. This poor mama hen was so confused, and clearly not used to this whole mother thing.
Just so you know:
Chickens must sit on fertile eggs for around 20 days, depending on the chicken, for the eggs to hatch. They get up about once a day to eat, drink, poop, and take a dust-bath if there’s time. But the clock is ticking and every minute away from those eggs means another minute of them cooling down… and this means a lower chance of ever hatching.
So, I’m sure you can understand my shock and dismay to arrive and find her sitting on the wrong eggs! It’s been a warm day, so I hoped the heat would’ve bought some time. But how many hours had it been?! My excitement to check on my hen got overtaken by despair. I was filled with regret that I didn’t check on her sooner.
“What do I do?”
I thought to myself, “Is it worth getting her back on…? Yes!”
I can’t say how long the eggs were left for, but they were cold. I can’t say if any will survive. And I also can’t say that they won’t hatch, because one or two may just make it.
I felt an urgency rise in me. An urgency to return the hen to her correct eggs, and I resolved to hold on to the sliver of hope that they might be okay…. Just maybe.
On top of it all, when I tried to move my hen, she thought I was taking her out to drink (she’s still learning) and she decided that it was a good time to take a dust-bath and stretch her legs!
Oh dear chicken…
I eventually got her back onto the correct eggs and left her wondering why I was fussing so. She had no idea that she’d been putting all her effort into something that would never hatch. Dear, dear chicken… you would be so disappointed.
So, she’s back on her eggs and now all we can do is wait and see if any have survived. It’s still a long sit for something that may never hatch… but they may… and all we can do is hope and pray.
The surprise and despair, the urgency, the regret…
It reminded me of the time when Jesus was at the temple in Jerusalem in Luke 21.
The story goes something like this:
Jesus and his disciples are people watching and get talking about the incredible architecture of the temple. Then Jesus says,
“Yeah, this is all going to collapse into a heap of rubble one day.”
His comment throws the conversation into a different direction and the disciples want to know all about the end times and what to expect. Jesus goes on to tell them about the signs they’ll see and the terrible things that will come.
He tells them that: Although there will be extreme difficulty, they’ll jump for joy on the day of His return because their full transformation and redemption will come. The long-awaited kingdom of God will finally be fully and completely established on that day.
And then Jesus says this:
“Be careful that you never allow your hearts to grow cold. Be careful that you are not caught off guard, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the worries of this life, and that day will come upon you suddenly like a trap. Don’t let me come and find you drunk or living carelessly like everyone else. For that day will come as a shocking surprise to all.”
Luke 21:34-35 (TPT)
So here are my thoughts…
I was so disappointed to find my hen on the wrong eggs. Eggs that would never hatch. She was sitting for no reason, the purpose of her mission void, wasted time.
How much time do we spend sitting on the wrong eggs?
What are the things we put all our efforts, energy, and focus into? Is it going to bear fruit, or are we simply wasting our time here?
What we invest in while we’re on earth matters… will Jesus come and find us living carelessly?
Are we taking the time and putting in the effort to make sure that we are sitting on the right nests? Because if we’re not, then I think we’ll have a shocking surprise when Jesus does come, and we’ll be sorely disappointed when we find out that what we were sitting on turned out to be infertile and void of purpose.
Take a moment and ask yourself:
What are you nurturing in your life?
And will it bear fruit?
Because if you are growing nothing, then nothing will come of it. If you are growing eternal fruit, then eternal fruit you will get. If you don’t know, then I encourage you to examine your life carefully, and be intentional about where you choose to sit.
Will it count?
Jesus desires to see us reap the fruit of living in the right space. He wants us to be ready. Life is short, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
Let’s pay attention, and not let Him come and find us living carelessly like those who have no hope.
Isn’t it beautiful that the One who secures our hope is also the Author of Life? Let us ask Him what needs to shift in our lives.