It is not unusual for a woman to be described as a mother hen, one who clucks and worries and frets and cares for others. We find joy in our ability to nurture and care, but there comes a time when each of us needs to be protected and cared for ourselves. We may be uncomfortable about our need to be nurtured, too embarrassed to acknowledge it, choosing instead to add more tasks to our already crowded plate. Then we wonder why our busyness leaves us feeling unsatisfied.
Read Luke 13:31-35. In this beautiful description of himself as a mother hen and us as the brood of chicks, Jesus calls us to his side to settle with the rest of the brood in the safety of his wings and the life-sustaining warmth of his body. Jesus reminds us to “be still and know that I am God.”
This week, add five minutes to your daily meditation time. Take those five minutes to imagine being a chick beneath your mother’s wings. What does it feel like? What do you do there? What will you do when it’s time to emerge?
This message was adapted from “Who Am I, Anyway?” by Terry L. Bowes that appeared in the March 1998 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.
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