Baby Chicks

Allow me to introduce you to Patches, Penny, Pickle, and Pumpkin. They are the latest members of the Virginia Hills Church Preschool. The picture above is not the clearest, but we had the hardest time getting them to stand still.

Several times over the years our school has tried to hatch baby chicks with the help of an incubator. The first attempt that I can recall was the first year I was pastor at Virginia Hills. From what I remember that attempt was unsuccessful. We have had many unsuccessful attempts over the years. We get the eggs, put them in the incubator, wait the required amount of time, and then throw the eggs away when they don’t hatch.

A few years ago, Justine’s college roommate started raising chickens. She was so successful that my daughter enlisted her help in restarting this tradition. It’s a very educational project. The preschoolers get to see eggs hatching and are awed by the cuteness of the little critters.

Last year we set things up, using the latest and greatest equipment. When the time for hatching came and went, with none of the desired results, Justine borrowed some chicks from her friend so the preschoolers could at least experience the adorableness.

This year, we tried again, and it actually worked! Unfortunately, the chicks hatched over the long Memorial Day Weekend. We returned to the office and found four chicks chirping away, three grey ones and one black one. Once again, our kids missed out on the actual hatching, but they were fully immersed in the cuteness when they returned to school.

So, what are the theological implications of this experience? The whole thing speaks to me of new life, the beauty of our world, patience, perseverance, failure, and success. Doesn’t the Bible say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again?” Actually, it doesn’t, but I’m pretty sure it is implied in there somewhere.