The Blind Chick

When Candi called to say she had a blind baby chick I was astonished. She went on to tell me that she and other workers at the feed and supply store had noticed this little chick walking around differently from the others so she took a closer look. This baby chick had no eyes! She was hatched with no eyes. Candi with a rush of enthusiasm then told me she had taken the chick home with her.

The chick now lives in a fancy chick pen with feeding station and watering bowl. The whole pen is safely inside the children’s playhouse, out of sight of greedy hawks. Candi’s three young siblings are overjoyed at welcoming a new little critter to their menagerie of cats, dogs, goats, donkeys, and the occasional visit of a beaver who patrols through their yard. The chick will feel the loving touch of eager hands, hear the children’s enthusiasm, and enjoy fresh food and water as she grows to be a hen. But she will never see the faces of her new family members. She will be ever in the dark.

Candi told me one morning she had named the baby Helen Keller. What a perfect name! Helen circles her round pen cheeping happily. Candi makes sure her water and feed stay in the same place so Helen has no problem finding them. But just in case she doesn’t get enough water, Candi gives her water through a syringe every so often. Helen has learned that when she feels a drop of water on her head, she can lift her beak and have a nice drink.

Something in the total compassion in Candi’s voice and her devoted care for Helen set me to thinking. Aren’t we like the baby chick? We’ve been rescued, given safety, food and water. But we have not seen the face of our Redeemer. We live in comfort and ease with everything we need and we’re happy–like the baby chick. But we cannot see the face of the One who has saved us. We, too, are really in the dark from that magnificent realm beyond our comprehension.

However, unlike the little chick, we will someday see our Redeemer face to face in all His glory and grace. Though we now can see the sunshine, leaves shifting in a breeze, gorgeous colors everywhere, we can’t see the wonders He has prepared for us, wonders that don’t even compare to the most wonderful sunset or the intricate wings of a butterfly, or the adorable softness of a cheeping baby chick. But we have a sure and steady hope that we will one day see everything He has planned for us.

Now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. I Corinthians 13:12

P.S. Candi called again with tears in her voice. The baby chick died. She had a happy life because of Candi’s compassion.