As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens
You might be wondering what enticed me to pick the title for my blog. The Savior in the scriptures uses the phrase "as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings" many times. I love the imagery of this statement. To me, it emanates love and warmth, gentleness and watch-care. In 3 Nephi 10, a passage recounts the Savior's words to the Nephites. He has appeared to them after His Atonement and Resurrection. It says:
He's pleading with them to repent and turn to Him. He's inviting them to come and He's reminding them that He was always there and ready to gather them in. The phrase He uses is phenomenal. It's so simple to visualize. But I wonder if we really recognize what the phrase means. First of all, "as a hen"...we all know that the hen is the mother. She cares for them, she loves them. She's concerned for their well-being. She's on the lookout for danger and for needs. The phrase puts Jesus Christ in the place of the parent and us in the place of the children. He's declaring His willingness to care for us. The statement also declares our dependence on Him. We cannot cover ourselves, try as we may. He's the one with the wingspan long enough to provide adequate shelter. We are His children. The phrase helps us establish an eternal truth that we are children of God and spiritual brothers and sisters of a loving Father in Heaven who has commissioned Jesus Christ to assist in caring for us.
What's interesting to note is the phrase that He often uses following "as a hen gathereth her chickens". He adds, "and ye would not." This to me is vital in understanding our relationship with our Heavenly Parents and their Son, Jesus Christ. It solidifies the eternal truth that we have agency to choose. The chickens may leave the comfort and safety of the wings. They may come back and He is always there. His words "how oft" say that He's always willing to gather us in. But the choice is ours.
The wings of the hen are also interesting to note. The wings would have to be enormous to adequately cover all the chickens. They really have to huddle and squeeze in there, perhaps catching a little raindrop here and there if they are on the outskirts of the huddle. It's kind of like a first-come, first-serve ordeal. The first ones in get the best protection. Unlike the limits of a real hen's wings, our Heavenly Father's love holds no bounds. His love is infinite and eternal, from all eternity to all eternity. His Son's Atonement offers covering for physical and spiritual death. The wings in this sentence embody all things that God has given us to help us return. The wings are the Atonement, the Resurrection, prayer, scriptures, commandments, covenants, temples, prophets and apostles, and so on. All we have to do is repent and return with full purpose of heart.
When I think about parenting and how to be a good one, the task is often overwhelming. But I feel like this phrase, "as a hen gathereth her chickens", is a good place to start. There are some basics I can start with. I can let my children know that they are my children and that I love them. I can let them know that I'm always here for them. I can let them know that they can come to me whenever they might need me for protection and nourishment. I can let them know that they have choices and that I hope they'll always keep the commandments because "in this there is safety and peace".
I hope this blog will serve as place where I can share insight and where I can honestly reflect on my efforts to become a better parent. I hope to be a better parent tomorrow than I am today. I hope to increase the wingspan available to my children.
I'm trying to be a good hen to my little chickens.
4 O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.
5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.
6 O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.
He's pleading with them to repent and turn to Him. He's inviting them to come and He's reminding them that He was always there and ready to gather them in. The phrase He uses is phenomenal. It's so simple to visualize. But I wonder if we really recognize what the phrase means. First of all, "as a hen"...we all know that the hen is the mother. She cares for them, she loves them. She's concerned for their well-being. She's on the lookout for danger and for needs. The phrase puts Jesus Christ in the place of the parent and us in the place of the children. He's declaring His willingness to care for us. The statement also declares our dependence on Him. We cannot cover ourselves, try as we may. He's the one with the wingspan long enough to provide adequate shelter. We are His children. The phrase helps us establish an eternal truth that we are children of God and spiritual brothers and sisters of a loving Father in Heaven who has commissioned Jesus Christ to assist in caring for us.
What's interesting to note is the phrase that He often uses following "as a hen gathereth her chickens". He adds, "and ye would not." This to me is vital in understanding our relationship with our Heavenly Parents and their Son, Jesus Christ. It solidifies the eternal truth that we have agency to choose. The chickens may leave the comfort and safety of the wings. They may come back and He is always there. His words "how oft" say that He's always willing to gather us in. But the choice is ours.
The wings of the hen are also interesting to note. The wings would have to be enormous to adequately cover all the chickens. They really have to huddle and squeeze in there, perhaps catching a little raindrop here and there if they are on the outskirts of the huddle. It's kind of like a first-come, first-serve ordeal. The first ones in get the best protection. Unlike the limits of a real hen's wings, our Heavenly Father's love holds no bounds. His love is infinite and eternal, from all eternity to all eternity. His Son's Atonement offers covering for physical and spiritual death. The wings in this sentence embody all things that God has given us to help us return. The wings are the Atonement, the Resurrection, prayer, scriptures, commandments, covenants, temples, prophets and apostles, and so on. All we have to do is repent and return with full purpose of heart.
When I think about parenting and how to be a good one, the task is often overwhelming. But I feel like this phrase, "as a hen gathereth her chickens", is a good place to start. There are some basics I can start with. I can let my children know that they are my children and that I love them. I can let them know that I'm always here for them. I can let them know that they can come to me whenever they might need me for protection and nourishment. I can let them know that they have choices and that I hope they'll always keep the commandments because "in this there is safety and peace".
I hope this blog will serve as place where I can share insight and where I can honestly reflect on my efforts to become a better parent. I hope to be a better parent tomorrow than I am today. I hope to increase the wingspan available to my children.
I'm trying to be a good hen to my little chickens.
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