Ed, my neighbour next door, likens political unrest to a tornado in a hen house. ?When the fox gets in the hen house, the hens get to cackling and flying around in fear and outrage. The fox sets it sights on a tasty dinner. The fox won?t give up and go home and the hens have no intention of feeding the fox. Time seems to stand still while the turbulence continues toward life and death in the hen house. The fox is going to win and some hen is going to die. The world is full of tornadoes in the hen house,? explains Ed, ?That?s why we have all the protests and turbulence in the Middle East recently.?
I asked Ed if all the unrest and revolts against leaders in the world troubles him.
?I really don?t care much about it unless it puts the price of gas up,? replied Ed. ?Let them fight it out. It is their right to get what they want,? commented Ed.
?Isn?t it more than people getting what they want?? I asked Ed.
?What is wrong with people getting what they want?? answered Ed with the edge of an argument in his voice.
?Who gets to decide which one gets what he or she wants? Why should the hens have to give the fox dinner when he broke into the hen house? If you were a hen, would you volunteer to feed the fox?? I asked Ed.
?The fox has to hunt and feed himself. What better place to hunt than in the hen house?? answered Ed.
?That is my point. When people are intent on getting what they want, somebody or perhaps everyone will get hurt or even die,? I said to Ed.
?No pain, no gain,? answered Ed.
?I have found no one minds pain as long as it isn?t their own pain,? I replied.
?Oh grow up. You have to stand up for yourself. I suppose you are going to wait for divine intervention or some other nonsense!? exclaimed Ed.
?Most of us have no difficulty when it comes to demanding what we want. Sometimes we are ready to argue or even fight to get it. When we get what we want, another may not be getting what they want. Sadly, we may not even care. It is easy to be the fox, but hard to be the hen,? I answered.
Ed was saved from further discussion by a call from Ruby to move his truck so she could get the car out for work. That left me to think of what the Bible says about getting what we want.
Getting what we want may come from motives of selfish ambition and envy. When we don?t get what we want, are we willing to quarrel and fight to get it? Will we even kill to get what we want? The Bible says, ?The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.? Love grows cold as we concentrate on getting what we want. Nations do become divided and fall. Demanding our rights and fighting for them is a natural motive in us, but our ways are not God?s ways.
God?s way is love that cares about what is good for all. Jesus was willing to become the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. He died for all, so that we would live for what God and our neighbour wants.
