The Official Writing Challenge
BACK TO
CHALLENGE
MAIN
INSTRUCTIONS
how it works
submission rules
guidelines for
choosing a level
ENTRIES
submit your entry
read current entries
read past entries
challenge winners
Our Daily Devotional HERE
Place it on your site or
receive it daily by email.


TRUST JESUS TODAY

  • Share
  • how it works
  • Submit
Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: FOLD (10/08/15)
I raise chickens and prefer to let them roam so I can enjoy them. They are especially fun to watch in Spring when the hens and their chicks walk single file around the yard. They go from one bug haven to the next, mother hen scratching the dirt looking for food, seeing to the needs of her children. I have a small courtyard off my dining room that is shaded by a large Magnolia tree. This tree is a favorite roosting place for the chickens as each dusk they gather for the night.

One calm, Spring evening as I stood watching this ritual I saw a mother hen and her six chicks settling in for the night and was entranced by the scene before me. First, Mother hen flew up into the tree choosing the middle part of a lower branch. Then one by one each chick took a turn flying up to Mother, some slower than others, 3 on each side, scooting as close as they could to each other. So patient this mother was as several chicks struggled to fly that high and needed several lift-offs before succeeding. Once all chicks were safely up and situated, Mother slowly lifted her wings, stretching them as wide as she could, then gently lowered them, completely covering her chicks. Owls were not going to snatch any of her chicks that night, I thought.

Today I was sitting on the couch thinking about that scene; those big, comforting wings protecting those young, vulnerable chicks. I brought up my legs close to my chest and sunk deeper into the couch, grabbing an afghan close by. I let my mind drift from that scene to a vision of God wrapping his big, loving arms around me, His wings of white cloth covering my body, tucking me close under His arm as I melted into His side. A sense of warmth and comfort spread over me like a bright warm light and I felt so blessed, so grateful, so at peace. God, my Father, who is always within reach, was comforting me.

Like those chicks could depend on their Mother for everything, We can depend on God for everything. It is one of His loving promises, 'I will not leave you, nor forsake you.' (Joshua 1:5 ESV). He guarantees He will not abandon or discard us, ever. We are part of His family. He is Father. We should feel very blessed that God finds great pleasure in wrapping His big arms around us because we ARE children and we will ALWAYS need Him.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
This article has been read 472 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Donna Powers
10/15/15
This was lovely! I could clearly imagine God's love enveloping us with your potent words.
Bonnie Bowden 
10/17/15
I lived next to a neighbor who had free roaming chickens. They would occassionally come next door to check things out.

The mother was extremely protective and it was fun to watch her as she rounded up her small chicks.

It is refreshing to know that God watches out for each one of his children in the same way.
Larry Whittington
10/19/15
My little chicks seemed to scatter like leaves in a brisk wind. Only the the clucking of the mother hen would draw them to her side. (I know young ducklings follow in a line.)

The commands of Jesus and the NT writers are like a safety net (arms of God) over us when we obey them. Obeying them keeps a person out of so much danger and misery.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
10/23/15
This was a great take on the topic. Recently, I've discovered how fascinating birds are and enjoy watching them, knowing God is watching too. Your story pulled me right in. Your descriptions were delightful.

Be aware of starting certain words with a capital letter. If using a word like mother, think if it's a common or proper noun. A good way to test is to sub your name for mother: Example: You could say The chick's followed Shann, so in that case Shann or Mother is a proper noun. However, you wouldn't say The chick's followed their Shann, so mother would be lowercase. Likewise with the seasons. Generally you wouldn't cap them unless it was part of a name: I can't wait to attend the Spring Ball. It's the first week of summer. Here's a resource that might explain it better:http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/capitalization/capitalization-of-seasons.html
Also write out numerals up to ten, and some say up to a hundred. (Three, not 3)

I think you did a great job with your message too. With some tweaking and possibly some trimming (many devotions word count are under 300), I think this would make a great devotion. You may want to consider submitting to FW daily devotions.

Congratulations on ranking 6th in your level. The highest rankings can be found on the message boards.