Thoughts on Discipleship by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

CLIPPED-WING CHICKENS STILL FLY!

From the memory vaults of decades long gone comes a story of a lesson learned as a child in the country. Most families back then had all the trappings of basic life support, including a large number of chickens. Breakfast and Sunday dinner tables were completed with their contribution and sacrifice. One day several of the chickens began to fly up and over the six-foot fence of their penned area. Mom gave a pair of scissors to my older brother with instructions to clip a small amount of feather from their wing. Later, she noticed the chickens still flying out of the pen, and asked if he had done as she instructed. He answered in the affirmative, but upon questioning it was learned that he had clipped both wings of each chicken instead of just one. Of course, that did not work. The whole idea of keeping the chickens earthbound was to create imbalance by clipping only one wing. Thus came the old saying of someone deemed to be too haughty or “uppity” he or she needed their wing clipped. My brother’s action failed to achieve the objective because it allowed the chickens to maintain the necessary balance to fly.

It is also true that to fly in spiritual matters one must also have balance. Such balance is denied natural man due to his sinful nature which does not harmonize or balance with the spiritual things of God and His righteousness. So, he remains “earthbound” by his sinful condition even while he seeks to be spiritual in religious affairs. He is desperately in need of the balance to fly, but it is beyond his ability, or reach, naturally. So, what, if anything, can be done to achieve spiritual balance and flying status? The answer is not complicated. The ancient prophet said it in a verse of scripture that has become the favorite to many: “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31. Here then is God’s way for mankind: wait upon the Lord. Such waiting denotes looking to; trusting, depending upon. Those who are tired of being “earthbound” by a nature that is not spiritual should allow God to clip the wings, imparting the balance of a right relationship with Him; spiritual knowledge by which he may mount up with wings as eagles.

FOR THOUGHT: Do you see the parallel here? A lot of religious folk can’t fly except in the arena of iniquitous practice that claims His name, but denies His power. Only God can change that and He will do it only if they are reconciled to Him in faith.