Saved

I could not stand the thought of one more innocent chick dying. How could my family be so cruel? How could I be so cruel? We cracked eggs and scrambled them with a pinch of salt and butter alongside toast and a slice or two of bacon. They were delicious. I despised and adored each bite. What is wrong with me?

I was determined to change. I would save these babies from the certain destruction of our ravenous appetites. I thought of the unhatched chicks, and I knew it had to be done. My eight-year-old mind concocted a plan.

While everyone was getting ready, I snuck into the kitchen, pulled a few eggs from the refrigerator, and swooped them off to the safety of our barn. Day after day, I saved a few more eggs. Mom scratched her head each morning as she went to the fridge, wondering aloud about where the eggs were. I kept quiet and held my head low so as not to make eye contact. My silence was saving chicks by the day.

Eventually, Mom discovered my covert operation. Though she was not angry, she kindly explained the difference between eggs we eat and eggs that hatch into chicks. What a relief!

Sin, which is anything that goes against God’s words, entered the world and separated humanity from God. We are sinners. But God loves people so much that he made a way for us to be with him again. He had a plan! He sent his perfect Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Jesus conquered sin by living a life of perfect obedience to God, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead on the third day!

He says anyone who believes in him will be saved—meaning, he lives in every one of his followers now, and one day he will live among us again! If your identity is in Jesus, you are saved from sin to a life with him! Talk about putting our eggs all in one basket.

Romans 10:9 says that if you recognize Jesus as Lord, or the leader of your life, and if you believe God brought him from death to life, you will be saved! Saved from what? Sin and its punishment of eternal separation from God. Deciding to make Jesus the Lord of your life means choosing to be like him every day, doing the things he did and asked us to do.

My mission to save the baby chickens failed, but remember, God’s mission to save you and me did not.