Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”

Chickens appear as a present sight on our mission trips. They come served on our plates in many places. I recall one trip to Kenya and chickens. We heard about a new restaurant in a nearby town that served fresh chicken. We decided to try it and took the team for lunch. Our journey entailed a long dusty drive down trails that masqueraded as roads. Pot holes caused us to swerve and jump like a wicked game of dodge ball. My bones rattled until they were sore. After an hour, we arrived. The place looked great. A large dining area sat out back surrounded by large, old Baobab trees. A long table stood majestically within the shade of the trees. Our waiter arrived. He explained how we would pick out our own chickens for our meal. Once selected, the poor little animal was carted off to the kitchen. Soon to be separated from it heads, cooked and sadly served to us shortly afterward. We all cringed at the thought. I like my chicken fresh but this was a little bit too fresh. Lunch would take several hours to prepare so we left in search of something more appealing.

Seeing a bird go from alive to the plate was not something foreign to me. My husband’s family are duck hunters. They taught me to hunt for a source of food only, not for sport. I went out on a hunt with them once and bagged a goose. Since it was my prize, I had to pluck it. It seemed to take hours to accomplish the task of de-feathering this little fellow. My fingers ached by the time I completed this task. Next, the men complete the ugly part of the job for me. Soon, my goose lay naked before the world. I enjoyed eating him in my gumbo later that night but still felt saddened by the process as the goose went from a beautiful creature to a lump of breast meat ready for consumption.

Both of these experiences with the birds caused me to think about my life in Christ. I related to these birds in all their stages. I spend time in this world strutting around wearing my brightly colored plumage. Soon I found sin in my life and tried to hide it from those around me. I preened and fluffed my feathers in the solemn hope that even God would not see the ugly lump of meat, which lay below my pretty feathers. I convinced myself that my sins were minor and no different from anyone else as I deceived myself.  The verse in Hebrews taught me otherwise, “Everything is uncovered and laid bare before Him.” With one swipe, God plucked my feathers and left me exposed. I could no longer hide my sins from Christ no matter how hard I tried. He exposed my sins, so that I could change my ways and return to my walk with Jesus.

 Are you trying to hide your sinful nature from God? He sees those things in your life that you have tried to disguise. Confess to God and allow Him to wash your sins away. Return to Him and He will give you true beauty.

Yvonne

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”