He longs to gather us.....

As I was listening to the message on Sunday, I was reminded of a story told to me many years ago when I was a young mom.  This particular teacher often shared about animals ~ and since I am a lover of animals as well as children, they spoke to my heart and have stayed with me ever since.   

The photograph Chris shared of the hen gathering her chicks under her wings was profound ~ not just for the 'Ahhhh, so cute' effect, not just because this mom wanted to protect her babies, or keep them warm or just snuggle them ~ all valid reasons ~ but there's more to that story.  The chicks were missing something essential to survival that the hen has and they don't!  

Feathers!  They contain oil which is a natural water repellent, and they interlock to form a protective covering from cold, rain, sun and injury.  So when a storm or predator comes, the mama cluck cluck clucks for her children to come take shelter under her wings.  Mama doesn't run around gathering them, she simply calls them.  She's got the oil, they don't.  Without her protective covering, they can't survive.  (I'm pretty sure by now you get where I'm going with this analogy!)   

We have the oil too!  It's the Holy Spirit who we received when we became Christ followers.  This is how we lead and protect our children ~ not just our biological chicks, but all those whom God has placed in our lives...whether they're five or fifty five!  

Matthew 23:37 says that Jesus 'longed to gather a wayward people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but we were too stubborn to let him.

This cannot be!  Let us rather follow this decree ~

Luke 4:18-19  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and he has anointed me to be hope for the poor, freedom for the brokenhearted, and new eyes for the blind, and to preach to prisoners, 'You are set free!'