ABOVE ALL, PUT ON CHARITY

Photo provided by Pennie Beth Saum 

Steve, being a pastor opened many 

opportunities for me to practice faith, 

and love.  Many times my faith

in the Lord or my love for the Lord

didn't manifest itself as it should.

When we moved to the tiny town of

Ira Tx, this gave me great opportunity 

to love deeply.  On one occasion, 

we had an elderly gentleman in our

church who I loved dearly.  

Jimmy Lane was a very quite man 

but I just adored him and his wife. 

Jimmy had some sort of issue that 

seemed related to Parkinson disease.

One day he was at the church doing

something and we were talking.  He

said, "Man I bought some chickens 

and I've got to get them cut up and 

put into the freezer."

So, I am a country girl, but it had

been awhile since I was in the 

country and forgetting how some 

country folks do it.   I asked him,

"How many chickens do you have 

to cut up and put into the freezer?" 

He said, "twelve of them."   

I am standing there looking as this 

man that his hands shook so much

that he barely could hold a cup and 

drink out of it.  Instantly I asked, 

"So when are you going to cut the 

chickens up?"  He said, "tomorrow 

morning."  Instantly I said, "You 

tell me what time to be there and I 

am going to come over and help 

you cut those chickens up."

The time was set and I went home

and pulled out my country girl 

coveralls.  Now my country girl 

coveralls are not those working kind

of coveralls because I like lace, 

buttons, and  bling bling added to 

the pockets and front pouch. 

I convinced my husband to go 

with me and he agreed he would 

come along and assist.  

Arriving, Jimmy greeted us and we 

talked a spell and then he leads us

out into the backyard. He starts toward 

the barn and I ask, "Jimmy, 

do you have the chickens in a 

refrigerator out in the barn?  

To my surprise his answer was, "no!"

Oh my, we kept walking around the 

corner only to lay eyes on twelve 

live chickens walking around in 

the chicken coop.  

My heart sank!  My stomach turned 

summer salts and my lips had to start 

praying really fast.  I wanted to stop and 

say, "Jimmy, this is not what I meant

when I said I would come help you 

cut up chickens."  

I thought Jimmy had gone 

shopping and got a sale on twelve 

good chickens and we were going to 

cut them and freeze them.  

No, not so!  What Jimmy took me to 

say was, "I am one tough country girl 

and I can handle wringing those 

chickens necks. running my finger

under their warm skin and pulling

their skin completely off of them."

No, that was not what this girl had said

at all.  Suddenly I wanted to run but my

eyes looked at his hands and how they 

shook.  

I suddenly found myself praying for 

strength to somehow endure this 

process. 

I did!  I can officially say that I rang

the necks of at least four chickens 

that day, ran my finger under their 

skin and pulled it off.   Still to this day

I have no idea how I endured it.

As we were leaving, Jimmy said, 

"Well now that you and Steve helped 

me, I am going to send five or six of 

these chickens home with you."  

OH NO!  What am I going to do!  

We graciously took the chickens.

I froze them and every time I 

would enter the freezer and see 

them I would get sick at my

stomach thinking about cooking

them.  

I think I finally had to let 

Steve grill them or something and 

let everyone else eat them, but 

I couldn't join in on the process.

This is the kind of love we should 

have for people but I must say, 

"It's not the kind of love I have often."

As the years passed I found myself

getting hardened to having this kind 

of love because it doesn't make me 

feel good, sometimes I get hurt, 

sometimes it makes me sick, but

this is the kind of love we need to 

show for others and through 

much prayer I am learning to 

be more compassionate again.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, 

holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, 

kindness, humbleness of mind, 

meekness, longsuffering;  Forbearing 

one another, and forgiving one another, 

if any man have a quarrel against any: 

even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things put on charity, 

which is the bond of perfectness.  And let 

the peace of God rule in your hearts, to 

the which also ye are called in one body; 

and be ye thankful.  Let the word of Christ 

dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching 

and admonishing one another in psalms and 

hymns and spiritual songs, singing with 

grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And 

whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in 

the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 

to God and the Father by him.

Colossians 3:12-17