The Thief Comes

We've had a thief at our house this week. 

One with fur and a voracious taste for fresh chicken.

And, the presence of this thief (or maybe thieves) has had me thinking much about what it all means and what I can learn from it.

You see, our family owns a small flock of chickens.  We have a large pen where we keep them.  The 25 of them have roamed freely, clucked and eaten, and laid some really yummy eggs for our family's food consumption.

This past Monday, several of my children went to gather eggs and came back screaming that there were "feathers and dead chickens" outside.  Apparently, some type of wild animal (presumably a fox or raccoon) had created a hole in the back corner and freely taken several of our chickens.

Gregg repaired the hole and closed off that portion of the chicken pen (we have a 2-section pen).

The next day, it happened again - another hole in the fence...and more lost chickens.  The saddest part is that many of the chickens have been left uneaten.  So the thief is no longer destroying our little flock simply because it's hungry.

Tuesday evening, Gregg repaired the hole and barred the remaining hens in the wooden coop for the night - to ensure their safety.

The next day, we lost 3 more chickens...the thief had actually made it's way into the pen and DUG A HOLE UNDER THE WOODEN WALL TO THE COOP!! 

Persistence - I'll give him that...

Next plan...Gregg went by Tractor Supply and purchased some traps.  The only ones he could find were live traps, and the woman at the counter sweetly asked what he was trying to catch.  He explained the situation and she said, "Oh please just promise me you aren't going to KILL them after you trap them!"

Seriously!?!?!

"Um...I can't promise you that."  Enough said.

Whatever the animal is...it's stealing, killing, and destroying our family's chickens.  Our hens are animals that we have fed, raised, cared for, and that supply an important food source for us.  Whatever it is must be destroyed before our entire flock is extinct.

Altogether, in 3 days, we have "lost" eight of our 25 hens.  This morning the traps were empty...and no more chickens were lost. 

Interesting.

Did the thief sense the danger of the trap and decide to stay away for a while?   I certainly can't answer that, but I will tell you the traps are still there, and we mean business when it comes to protecting our tiny remaining flock!

All week, this has lead me to run the scripture, John 10:10, through my mind.

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly."   

It's the perfect example...this animal is coming to steal, kill, and destroy our flock.  He is coming when we aren't looking - when we aren't expecting him.  He is finding weaknesses in our structures.  He is making his own way to satisfy his own desires.

In this scripture, Jesus is telling us that the thief - referring to Satan - has a plan.  That plan is to steal, kill, and destroy us.

Jesus reminds us that He came so the thief couldn't have us.  Jesus came so we could have LIFE.  And not just LIFE but ABUNDANT LIFE.  (You know...full, joyful, peaceful, refreshing, to-God-be-the-glory LIFE.)

Thank you, Jesus, for coming so we could have LIFE.  Thank you, that once we commit our lives to You, Satan can't really destroy us.  He could make us miserable for a time if we let him, but HE CAN'T WIN THE WAR.

I've been thinking about how Satan is like this animal I've been describing. 

He has a voracious appetite for our families, our marriages, our relationships, our children - and he seeks to destroy them.  He looks for the weak places in our lives and seeks to slyly slither his way into those places  - often unnoticed until it's too late.

I've been looking at the weak areas where the thief might have a chance to destroy my family...

Discontentment, mismanaged time, technology, apathy, excuses, feelings of giving up, loss of vision or purpose...not to mention some of the more obvious threats like internet use, pornography, drugs/alcohol, premarital sex, and yes - even Facebook.

I've been watching my children this week and trying to be a little more observant with the places the thief might seek to destroy them.

A precious and dear pastor's wife I had growing up mentioned something to me when I was about college age, I guess.  It has always stuck with me.

She was referring to her only son and the turmoil he was going through at the time, and she told him, "I have fought Satan and hell itself for you, and I'm not about to stop fighting and let you go now!"

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life and might have it more abundantly." 

I must fight Satan and hell itself for my family, my marriage, my relationships, my children...because the thief seeks to have them.

And I can tell you this... 

If I am not diligent to lift my loved ones in prayer...

If I am not faithful to make the tough decisions that help my family to honor God...

If I am not willing to give up the things that threaten to take us from our true purpose...

If I am not going to be contentedly obedient to God's call for my own life...

The thief comes.