Chicken

Chicken Run is a kids movie about a chicken farm where the chicken's owners decide that eggs are not profitable enough and go into the business of pot pies. The whole movie is about the chickens trying to escape from these horrible owners who are going to eat them. As horrifying as it sounds, it's actually a pretty funny little movie. Halle and one of her friends pulled out the old VHS tape to watch it again this past weekend- yes, VHS still exists and yes, I still have a VCR in my house and no, Fred Flintstone is not running it. As the girls sat eating lunch and watching the movie- rooting for the chickens to be victorious, I found it quite ironic that they were eating fried chicken. The girls would be the first to say the owners were wrong for wanting to kill the chickens but they saw no problem eating the ones on their plates.
Life is like a box of chicken...Just kidding. But more often than I would care to admit, I have loudly denounced something in someone else's life as I sit feasting on the bones of that very thing in my own. Oh that I would get to a place where I can see clearly my hypocrisies and would not rush in so quick to judge others! The Bible calls for wisdom but it says to be wise as serpents, gentle as doves. It's that last part that really needs some work. How is it possible to have the wisdom to see other people's "stuff" and not judge? When we realize, not know it in our heads but way deep down in our guts-realize that we have not only some of the same stuff- but even more stuff- then we can love well. Then we become "chief sinners" like Paul called himself. If we know we are the worst of the worst then we are okay with everybody else's pretty bad. But the only way we can face our stuff and our worst of the worst status is if we are secure in what Jesus says about us.
We are not just loved, but lovely..not just forgiven, but holy and righteous...not just accepted, but favored,...not servants, but children. He sees Himself when He looks at us because He covered all of our "stuff" with His "stuff"- and His stuff is pretty darn good. I will gladly accept who I am -the worst of the worst- for who I get to be..a lovely, holy, righteous, favored child of the King of Kings.