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The Ministry Wife

Like a Headless Chicken

by Muriel Larson

The Sunday after my husband became the pastor of a small country church in southern Wisconsin, a woman said to him, “Preacher, you come on over tomorrow with a gunny sack and I’ll give you some chickens!”

So he did. He and the lady chased after the chickens until they had four of them in the sack.
Al brought them home and got his axe out. “Put some water on to boil,” he told me, “then bring the kettle out and be ready to pour it on a chicken so we can de-feather it.”

There was already a big old stump near our old “parsonage,” so Al took the bag of chickens there, pulled one out, and laid it on the stump. By the time he was able to chop its head off, I was standing by with the kettle of hot water.

The chicken’s body fell loose of its head, but it started running around in circles! That was the day I learned the meaning of “running around like a chicken with its head off.”

Running Around in Circles

This illustrates a sad truth about the lives of the majority of people of today, even of many professing Christians. They are busy, busy, busy—running around like headless chickens—but their lives are often meaningless, miserable, and/or destructive.

Without God’s guidance they make major mistakes in judgment. As “Dr. Muriel,” e-mail counselor, I often receive letters from troubled, even suicidal women who have done that and were regretting their bad decisions with every fiber of their being. Many have taken lovers or husbands who abuse them, cheat on them and otherwise make life miserable for them. A number of them have had children by these men. Others are addicted to something, and still others suffering from the effects of things they did.

The obviously lost women I can encourage to receive Jesus Christ as Savior, for He can make a big difference in their lives. The backslidden Christians I can encourage to repent and get right with the Lord. He can make a big difference in their lives too. But unfortunately many have to live with the consequences of the poor choices they made without the Lord’s guidance.

Christians Running in Circles

I have served the Lord in many churches around the nation. And I have observed something that is troubling: The majority of Christians are living in a nice religious routine, but they haven’t much joy and they’re not really serving the Lord with all their heart. (Did you ever look up at a choir when they are singing a praise song or hymn to the Lord? Most of them never crack a smile!)

Many will attend all the services of the church, be active in groups, teach Sunday School, etc. etc. Unfortunately, it may be for them just activity—running like a headless chicken.

I think it’s a good idea for all of us to re-examine our lives once in a while, to make sure that we’re really in touch with our Lord. It’s so easy to drift into self-satisfaction. When that happens, we’re living in the old self (Ephesians 4:22). Ephesians 5:14-18 urges us to wake up and have Christ shine on us. “Be very careful how you live, for the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Concerning mankind, John Bunyan wrote, “From God he’s a backslider, blind reason is his guider; the Devil is his rider.” When we live according to God’s will, we won’t live that way—or run around like chickens with our heads off!

DR. MURIEL LARSON has had 17 books and many articles and songs published. As "Dr. Muriel," she counsels by e-mail for Truth Media e-zines. View her Web site at http://AdviceDrMuriel.blogspot.com.