Am I just out of the loop or did the children’s story of the “Little Red Hen” just disappear over the last decade or two? The story line is one of reaping and sowing, one that is as applicable today as it was back in the 60's and 70's of my youth, yet it may not be quite as acceptable today as it was when I was a young lad. I'll share the cliff notes version for those that may not be familiar with the story.
The Little Red Hen finds some wheat and decides to plant it, she asks the other animals in the barnyard and nobody offers to help her plant the seed. Then when the wheat grows, the hen once again asks her "friends" for some help gathering the wheat. "Not me" was the resounding response, so the little red hen gathered the wheat by herself. The story continues with the hen getting no help taking the wheat to the mill to be ground, and then back to the farm where once more her plea for help in baking the bread is denied by the cast of the barn lot. When the fresh baked loaves of bread sit cooling and the fresh aroma filled the air, the animals come running for their loaf of the yummy bread. The cow, the pig, the dog, and the horse all ask the little red hen for their loaf of bread to which the hen aptly denies their request. She explained that nobody would help her when she was doing all the work, so they didn't deserve any of the fruits of her labor or in this instance the "bread" of her labor. The lesson I learned from that story, was if you don't work you don't eat!
Today that mentality has been lost to one of “what will you do for me”, regardless of what input the individual makes. A hand up has become a hand out. To many people, the little red hen would be seen as greedy and self-serving. As a society, America has moved to one of entitlement over earning what you receive. That kind of mentality cannot survive, the end result is a few, the little red hens, doing all the work and then the rest of the barn lot receiving their "fair" share just because they live on the farm. Life was not designed to be that way.
In one of my devotions this past week I read a scripture that set the stage for this lesson of reaping and sowing. In Luke 16:10, Jesus exhorts us with this statement "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." There are many ways that this verse could be interpreted, but what connected this verse to my children's fable of the little red hen is this, if we can't be accountable in the small aspects of life such as planting the seed, tilling the soil, gathering the wheat, grounding the meal, and baking the bread, then how is it that we should reap the benefits of eating the bread. Apply that anywhere you want to in life, but I believe the message is made completely clear in the following words from Paul to the church in Galatia, "Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return." Galatians 6:7.
In everything we do God wants our best efforts to be a testament to our service to Him. Colossians 3:23 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, "whatever you do, do it as if you were doing it for God and not man". Do your part, do more than your part, God gave His only Son for you and I, shouldn't we at least be willing to plant some seeds? Jesus said if you are faithful in the small things then you can be used in the big things of this life. We each have “things” God has planned for us to do to expand His Kingdom. If you have not found your “why” in life yet seek it. Seek God through a relationship, a relationship that is built over time and effort. Time and effort are a choice, and you my friend get to choose. Sounds a little like the story of the Little Red Hen to me?
Coach Carter
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