Hens and Foxes

 

Once upon a time there was a hen who was pecking at the ground, eating her food. As she ate, a fox approached her. He was very hungry, and hadn’t eaten anything all day. He tried to trick the hen so he could eat her. So, he said, “I heard that you have a very fine singing voice. I would love to hear you sing.”

Well, the hen fell for his trick, and she moved closer to the fox so that he could hear her better. As she took a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and got ready to sing to the fox. All of a sudden, the fox grabbed her neck with his jaws and started to run.

The hen knew she made a huge mistake and wondered what she was going to do to escape. All of a sudden, she heard dogs barking and saw that they were chasing the fox. She had an idea, and said, “Mr. Fox, those dogs are chasing me. They’re not chasing you. They’re only running after you to catch me. If you let me go, they will stop, and you can get away. They don’t want you. They want me. Ask them!”

The fox stopped, turned around, and opened his mouth to talk to the dogs. Immediately, the hen escaped, and the dogs chased the fox until they caught him. The hen’s lesson was never to trust a fox.

I tell you that story because Jesus knew that Herod was a fox, and he did not trust him. The lesson for you is that you should not trust everybody. Trust your parents, family and people your parents tell you to trust, but not everybody. Trust God and His Word, Jesus. Jesus gathers us together to protect us. You can trust Jesus and His Father all the time.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.