Each year during the winter months our chickens do not lay as many eggs. Usually about 1/2 of the normal production. This year, we have not had a single egg since the end of November. So I added a topic (Chickens on Strike) on the MaryJanesFarm website to recieve guidance on our problem.
I was educated that after a hen reaches the ripe old age of 3 she's pretty much done with laying. And when she lays a marble size egg, stick a fork in her baby...she's really DONE!
So now we are left with a dilemma of what to do with our 21 chickens. A few suggestions were made by other farm girls as to what to do with them, but we have not decided on that option yet. I guess I'm still a farm girl in training.
As I was preparing for my next blog, I began to think about our chickens and what happens to us when others no longer see value in our production. It is in our Christian nature to need to work. There are times when we have spent a lifetime of working, giving and volunteering only to find we just can't produce like we used to. It is age with our hens, but we Christians tend to "burn-out" before we "age-out".
But even in the midst of our burnout, we can still contribute. A grand act with immediate results is not always necessary or even appropriate. Sometimes a simple gesture is all that God requires to do his work. A phone call, a card, a smile, or a casual conversation may make the difference between someone feeling lonely and someone knowing that God is working in their life through you.
Although I'm really trying to have a less hectic schedule this year, I've decided I'll retire my FORK for awhile. I'm not quite DONE yet.
You remind me to keep my eyes focused on God and that one little gesture could plant a seed in the heart of someone who may not know Him.
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