Before I left for Kenya, a dear friend of mine gave me a piece of jewelry with the word ‘Joy’ engraved on it. She chose this with a promise to pray that I would find unexpected encounters with joy along the way!
I have found myself experiencing joy these past few weeks in several very unusual circumstances. Here is one story…
On Saturday evening, our family was enjoying a rare meal together alone. We were talking about our day and savoring the roast beef and mashed potatoes I had prepared when a chicken wandered into the room. He was looking for a place to lay and egg. Kenyans think nothing of this. As Joseph would say, “Why would you shoo something that is food out of the room?”
We crazy Americans think chickens are unsanitary so as this chicken wandered in, all of the kids started screaming. Then they tried to chase it out. Every time they got it close to the door, the chicken would dart under the table or the benches and the chase would begin all over again. It was pandemonium in the room. All the kids were screaming and yelling out directions. Rachel was the only one committed to actually picking the chicken up and capturing it. However, she didn’t want chicken germs to get on her hands so she had a napkin in each hand that served as a germ barrier. Several times she reached out to snatch the chicken and grabbed the very back end of it. The chicken would squawk at her and she would scream and let go. This happened several times and as I sat there and surveyed the room I started to laugh. Not just a chuckle, but a deep down satisfying laugh. “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
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