Something Has to Die

Recently we had what we call “chicken killing day” at our house. That sounds awful, I know, but it is what it is! We have tried for many years to decrease our dependency on the grocery store. We have also tried to feed our children and ourselves the best quality meat and other products that we can. We don’t always get it right, and we do still shop at the grocery store, but we have increased our sustainability through the years and feel we have gotten a good balance. Most of our protein sources, beef, pork and chicken, come from either our farm or the support of local farms especially through 4-H animals.

We try to raise our own animals not just for the health benefits but also for the economic outcomes. Chickens have been a part of that for a few years. Not only do we have eggs, but we recently purchased chicks to raise specifically for meat. We had not done this for a little while and really wanted to get back to having those in our freezer.

These chicks are bred to grow quickly and be ready to process around 8-9 weeks of age. Let me say that these chicks are a lot of work! To grow quickly, they need food and water continuously and a light kept on them, even at night, to encourage eating and growth. Once they reach the desired weight, it is time for processing. Thankfully, technology and equipment have come a long way and gone are the days of hand plucking and hours of work.

We form an assembly line of sorts and everyone has a job and a purpose, even me! Someone has to get the process started and slaughter the chickens, which has usually been the job of both boys. This time it fell to our youngest son. Then my job, was to take the chickens and scald them for the appropriate amount of time in water that is set at an exact temperature. The scalded bird is then tossed into the plucker which conveniently and pretty precisely, removes all of the feathers.

I then take the “naked” birds over to husband and daughter for the final stage of butchering and washing. The processed chickens are then iced down and ready to be bagged for the freezer. We were able to do 31 chickens in one hour and twenty minutes. We were pretty proud of ourselves for the efficiency and effort.

I did capture a few photos of the process along the way, but determined that most of the world really doesn’t want to see all that! As I was working and taking a few photos, I did think, “was it really possible that God would reveal His Word to me through this process? ” I mean how in the world can you find anything spiritual in the mess of killing chickens?

He didn’t speak immediately and a few weeks have passed since that day, but when He spoke, He revealed a powerful word! He very clearly said these words to me:

For something to grow, something has to die. For something to be fed, something has to be harvested.

I thought about that statement and thought about how for my family to eat, for them to be fed, something definitely had to be harvested. Something had to die. Even the tomatoes, cucumbers, peas and corn, had to be picked. The moment that they were separated from from the vine, the second that they were harvested, they died essentially. All that so that my family, and other families, could be fed. The cows, pigs, and chickens all need to be harvested for my family to be fed. So for us to grow, something has to die.

Maybe you’re like me, and lately you have been praying for growth. Prayers for God to feed my spirit and make me more like Him. Then again, maybe you haven’t been asking for growth. My prayer is that you will be stirred to growth and a desire to be fed spiritually. He’s reminding me, that for me to grow, something has to die. The more I ask God to help me to grow deeper and stronger in Him, the more I hear Him saying that something has to die.

I can’t go forward unless there is a harvest in myself. There are things that need to die in me and today I am asking for the grace to kill the things that need to be removed. Whether it’s bitterness, unforgiveness, a bad attitude, lack of faith, fear, or whatever it is, we all have things that need to die.

Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. “

Philipians 1:21 says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” If I want to be like him, something has to die. Self has to die. Fear has to die. Bitterness has to die. Pride has to die.

When that happens, Faith will grow. Humility will bloom. Love will take control. The fruits of His Spirit will flourish. Something has to die, and that’s okay, because then my spirit will be fed and He will grow.