When God Keeps a Door Closed…What I Learned From The Chickens

And today, while they were up their usual antics I realized just how much I could relate to those little creatures.

You see, back in the fall, my husband built a little tunnel “breezeway” leading from our chickens’ covered run into our garden. We made this so we could easily let them free range in the garden, but they couldn’t always have access to it. There is a little door that we can open when we want them in, and shut it when we don’t. We have some hawks around here that fly much too close while those chickens are free ranging, so we then have to get them back into their covered run to keep them safe.

But those chickens love being free in the garden. They will line up at that door to get in the garden anytime we go back there. And if we aren’t going to let them out at that time, they will all just stand there squawking and squawking hoping for a chance to run and play in the garden. If I had all the time in the world to supervise them out there, they would have unlimited access, but unfortunately, I can not. And in order to keep the chickens safe from that hawk, I have to keep the door shut more than they would prefer.

Today as I watched them all lining up at the door and I had just seen the hawk circling (so there was no way I was letting them out) it dawned on me that those poor chickens just don’t understand. They don’t understand that I am keeping them safe from potential danger. They just want to get into the garden and dig up grubs! They have no idea that I am protecting them.

I realized I will never, ever be able to explain that to them either. After all, they are chickens! I can’t communicate about hawks, and protection, and all of those things to them! They will never, ever understand, but I know day after day they will continue to stand at that door hoping I will open it.

Aren’t we just like those chickens with God? Sometimes we stand and wait for Him to open a particular door, and He never does. And you know what? We may never know in this lifetime why not, or just what He may be protecting us from. And He may never be able to explain it to us or make us understand His infinite and His far superior wisdom in this lifetime.

Just like I can’t explain it to those chickens.

Are you standing daily at a door that God isn’t opening? Perhaps He is protecting you from something or He just knows better and has a better plan. We can’t always understand and that is ok. We don’t have to. Just like I have those chickens’ well-being in mind, God always has our best interest in mind. He is not trying to harm us or keep us from good.

What we think we are missing out on may just be His loving protection.

I joke about how much I adore my chickens…but really, in all seriousness, it is amazing how much I can learn from a simple afternoon of watching those creatures…and thinking about our God and His care for us.