I have a very friendly solid white rooster with a red comb on the top of  his head that I named “The Colonel” .  Recently ,he has needed more attention.  He meets me at the back door and lets me pet him and carry him.  He especially likes it when I carry him under my right arm as I walk around the farm feeding all of the animals. I love that he enjoys being with me.  

Lately he has been making some very bad choices.  I’ve been finding him perched on the top of the railing right above the fence of our 2 dogs.  These dogs do not like chickens.  I have literally moved The Colonel dozens of times from this spot, but he keeps finding his way back.  Each time it’s as if he is taking a greater and greater chance of “ getting caught” .  The dogs don’t hide in any way how they dislike him.   I have found The Colonel recently perched far over the ledge leaning his face towards the dogs, as the dogs bark and jump frantically towards him , coming within 1 – 2 feet !  Yesterday I couldn’t believe what I saw .  As I walked by the dog’s fenced area , I saw The Colonel actually walking around inside the dog’s fence!  I quickly called my daughter to tell her not to put the dogs out. The Colonel was ushered out of the fence.  I was thankful.  It was such a close call. 

That same night as I returned home from errands, my son-in-law met me in the driveway and said “ They got him!”. At first I didn’t know what he was talking about.  Then I saw white feathers spread all over inside the dog’s fence. I tried to look to see if he was alive.  I really couldn’t tell.  As I picked him up , he felt completely limp and his little head dropped down.  As I gently lifted his head , he began to move his feet!  I carried him as I sat down in a chair.  I started to talk to him and I said “Colonel , what were you thinking? I told you over and over to stay away from the dog’s fence”.  I also told him that I was so sorry and that I loved him.  I loved on him and petted on him.  I found a large box and I put him inside with food and water.  He still couldn’t hold his head up .  He was just lying there.  I said a quiet prayer in my heart asking God to heal him and to take care of him.  It had gotten late, so I went inside.  In less than an hour , I decided to go back and check on him.  I could not believe my eyes!  The Colonel was standing up holding his head up high like he normally did! He was OK! I just couldn’t believe it! 

As I sat with him in shock over his amazing healing , I couldn’t help but think about all the times he had made bad choices by getting so close to the dogs over and over. Each time he got closer and closer putting himself in more risk for harm or even worse. I had moved him many times.  He even faced the dogs barking ferociously at him .  He had to have known that he was not in a safe place. Then I thought of how it reminded me of us humans and how we have all probably made bad choices at some point in our lives, even when we’ve had that repetitive  “feeling” or “ prompting” to not do it.  Then I thought of how God will reach down and pick us up when we are “ broken”  from our bad choices and “hold us “ and “ heal us” .  Sometimes our brokenness is where God can do his best miracles just like with the Colonel.