Richie was all ready for bed, that is — almost. He put his arms around his uncle for a good night hug and kiss. He lingered a bit, and then, with a sudden rush of words, whispered something in his uncle’s ear.
Uncle’s eyes twinkled, “What’s this? You want to stay home from school tomorrow to help get the baby chicks from the hatchery? Well, that’s nice of you to offer to help me, but I think I can manage all right; and when you get home from school they’ll all be in the brooder house for you to see, and you can help me take care of them after that.”
The next day the big yellow school bus stopped at the gate long enough for six youngsters to hop off, and race for the brooder house. Even before they reached the little white building, they could hear the cheep-cheep-cheep of three hundred and fifty busy little chicks.
“Oh, look, they’re black.”
“Aren’t they cute?”
“It looks as if they have fur instead of feathers, doesn’t it?”
“Uncle says these are supposed to be more hardy, and better layers, too.”
“I think I like them better than the yellow ones we had last year.”
And then Richie, who had run the fastest of all to see them, spied a tiny chick lying beside a feed trough. Tenderly he picked it up. “Look, it’s almost dead.”
Sure enough, it had been crowded away from the infrared lamp, and was very weak and chilled. Richie’s uncle told him he could have it, if he could help it to get well again. So he gently carried it to the house and found a box and made a nest for it close by the heater.
“Do you think it’ll live?”
“It doesn’t look like it to me.”
“I hope it doesn’t die, though.” ‘
All evening he took frequent looks at it, watching for signs of improvement, and he warmed it in his own warm hands.
No one offered much encouragement. His big brother even teased a bit by saying, “It looks like the dying kind to me, Rich.”
“Don’t say that—only the Lord Jesus knows if it will live. I hope He doesn’t let it die.” Richie was almost in tears.
If we can become concerned over our little pets, let us consider how infinitely greater is God’s interest and love for us. Unlike animals, each one of us has a never-dying soul, for God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, and he became a living soul. God is not willing that any should perish, so He gave His only begotten Son to redeem man from the lost condition into which his sin had brought him. “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” Eccl. 12:11Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Well, by bedtime Richie’s pet was standing, and could hold its head up and chirp a bit. Richie ducked its lile bill into some water, and it tilted its head up to swallow it. Feeling a bit revived, it picked at some food. It soon began to peep louder—this time because it felt lonely, and wanted to be with the other chicks. Richie went to bed happy because his chickie was growing strong and lively. His uncle put it back into the brooder, and to us it looked just like all the rest; but not to Richie—he could always find just which one was his very own. God the Father knows each of His own too, and calls them by name.
Dear reader, are you one of His own? Have you come to the Lord Jesus and acknowledged that you are lost and ruined by sin? Unless you are trusting in the Lord Jesus, death and judgment are before you. Just as Richie’s little chick would have died if it had not been cared for, so you need the mighty arm of the Lord Jesus to save you. He died that you might live, and now in glory He waits to forgive and bless all who come to Him by faith.
ML 09/26/1954