Has God Forsaken Me?
Just what do baby chick hatching, a little boy under a blanket and feeling like God is forsaking us have in common? On today’s episode we talk about all three of these and how they teach of a merciful God who wants what is best for us.
Episode Discussion Points
Story of my son’s Kindergarten teacher having baby chicks hatch in her classroom
How my son mimicked what he saw by grabbing his blanket and hatching out of it while I hugged him and was so happy to see him when he “hatched.
Why it is important to allow baby chicks to hatch on their own
How chicks have all they need to break out of their shell—nutrients, an air sack and even a special tooth to help crack the egg.
How God plays into this image of a chick pushing its way out of it’s shell—how He is there waiting and encouraging us to gain the strength necessary to move forward.
My personal experiences feeling alone, forgotten and forsaken.
How my perspective has changed as I think about God looking at us like a mother hen looks at her baby hatching.
Bible verses that talk about:
He sustains us
Fear not
Have courage
God hasn’t forsaken us
He sees the sparrows
He has graven us on the palms of His hands
He is preparing the way for us
Someday He will be there to greet us as we finally break free of our shell and welcome us home.
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Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
0:03
Have you ever had the experience where you feel like you are completely alone? Isolated, like, no one can reach you and no one can help you? And you're wondering, Where is this merciful God? And why is He not helping me? We're going to cover this today, along with a fun story about my son when he was in kindergarten. Stay tuned.
0:32
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
0:57
Hello, and welcome to the Stories of Hope in Hard Times podcast. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. And on today's Tamara's Takeaway episode, I want to take you back to a time when my son Jacob was in kindergarten. And when he was in kindergarten, he, he had the most amazing teacher. And one of the things this teacher did is that she hatched little eggs into chicks in her classroom, and she let the kids watch these baby chickens be hatched. And this was such a fascinating process to Jacob, he loved watching those baby chicks.
1:44
And he even came home and acted it out. So what he did is he came home and he would wrap himself up in his comforter from his bed. And he would just start, you know, peep peep, and he would move his head up against this, this egg shell that he had created out of his blanket. And he would push and push and push and push. And finally he would poke his little head out and peep and say mama. And I would come say Oh, it's my Jacob and I'd scoop him up and I was so happy. And this scene played out several times in our home, actually for several years. Every once in a while he would just wrap himself up and pretend he was a little chick and and hatch out of his little blanket egg. And I was thinking back on that just this past week and and thinking what a sweet moment that was, for me as a mom to watch him go through this process.
2:57
And it also started me thinking a little bit about us and God. And I've started thinking about these baby chicks in their eggs. And I've done a little bit of research. And one of the things that is mentioned many, many times it by several different chicken experts is that you need to let baby chicks break themselves out of their egg. You should not help them because they have what they need in their shell as they're growing. It takes about 21 days to reach that point where they're ready to break out. They have the nutrition that they need. They have the little air sac at the top of the egg that they need. And as they push up against that shell, they even have this little egg tooth, which is right on their beak and it helps them crack the shell by by them knocking it against it. Its like a little hammer of appointed hammer that they can use to kind of poke their way out.
3:59
And so those little chickens have everything that they need inside their egg. And them pushing up against it actually builds their muscles enough so that they are strong, once they get out of their egg to be able to endure the rigors of life.
4:20
And as I thought about that, I kind of looked back on my life at the times when I have felt so completely and utterly alone. When I felt like nobody understood me, nobody could see me, nobody could penetrate where I was. I was kind of in a little egg, for lack of a better idea. But the more I thought about that that kind of describes how I felt. I felt like I was in an egg.
4:50
And I wondered, Where is God? Why isn't he helping me? Why isn't he taking this problem away? Why isn't he swooping in with a grand solution? Why, why why? Why, why? For me, this has happened several times in my life when I've asked just a multitude of why questions and just felt so barren inside, like, empty. No one could understand how I thought, what I was thinking what I was feeling. No one knew what it how hard it was to have two sons with autism, how exhausted I was all the time.
5:35
I couldn't understand why God wouldn't heal them. I couldn't understand why I couldn't even sleep through the night when I needed sleep so badly after years and years and years of, of being up for hours at a time in the middle of the night with these kids. It was just lonely, and tiring and exhausting.
6:01
And all of a sudden, as I started thinking about this little chick breaking out of an egg, and about Jacob acting the scene out, I started looking on those moments in my life Maybe with a different perspective. Maybe with the perspective of a kind, God looking at a little chicken hatching out of an egg--knowing that it has everything it needs. And it just needs to use the what it has, and break out of its shell. And God has told us in the Bible that we are of more value than sparrows that he sees every Sparrow fall and he surely notices us when we're banging against whatever shell we've created, or that we're battling against, he sees us. And He knows us. And He hasn't forsaken us, just like a mama hen is standing right outside that egg. He knows and watches and is ready to swoop in as soon as we are ready. As soon as we build our spiritual muscles or learn what we need to learn. He is ready and there and He's given us everything we need inside that little egg if we know how to tap into it.
7:31
And there's a couple of verses that I found that seem especially poignant. Right now, as I'm thinking about this topic, and one of them is found in the Psalm 55, verse 22. And he says this, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer, the righteous to be moved." And I love that verse because it talks about God's sustaining us. Even in that little egg. Even in our pits of grief and sorrow and sadness. He is sustaining us. He's given us the nutrients that we need. And we're not gonna die in that little shell.
8:22
In Deuteronomy 31, when Moses is talking to the children of Israel before he dies, he tells them this, he says, "Be strong and have a good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail the nor forsake thee." And so those are good words for me to remember when I'm in those egg moments. When I feel like I'm abandoned. Be strong, be courageous, keep pushing, keep trying, don't fear. God is with you. He's not going to fail you. He is not going to forsake you. He is right there on the outside of that shell, rooting for you, cheering for you, waiting to scoop you up. He's given you what you need.
9:13
And then two verses later, Moses is talking specifically to Joshua. And he says, "And the Lord he it is that doth go before thee. He will be with be he will not fail thee." I love that because it talks that about that God is preparing the way for us on the other side of that shell. That he is opening the next step of our life. We've just got to break through that shell, gain some spiritual muscles. And then when we come out, He's there and he's got the path ready and laid out before us and we just have to start taking steps just like those baby chicks. Sometimes we sit down because we're exhausted and we have to dry out and get warm. But then we're ready to take steps in move on with our life. And so remember that He is there, He's preparing a way for you. He's given you the nutrients, you need, the ability to break out of your shell. And He hasn't forgotten you, nor forsaken you.
10:17
He talks about in the Bible that he has "graven us on the palms of his hands." He's not going to forget you because He suffered for you, and for me, and He knows you. He sees you in your suffering. He is there, and he can send love, and angels to cheer you up to tell you be of good courage.
10:43
And so my friends, if you're in that moment, right now, I want you to remember this image, not only have a little chicken, taking 12 to 24 hours to break out of an egg, but of a little boy wrapped in a blanket, pushing his way out. And his mama being right there, to scoop him up in her arms as soon as he does.
11:09
God is there. He loves you. He sees you and will not abandon you nor forsake you. Keep moving, keep pushing, don't fear. Don't be afraid. Be courageous, do your best every day. And someday, the egg will break. And you will be free. And God will come and scoop you up in his arms and say, "Well done, my child. Well done. You've done it. You've succeeded. And now you are strong. And you can move through the next piece of your life because I've prepared a way for you." I know this is true. I felt it and seen it in my own life. Hope on my friends.
12:04
Hey, my friends, are you looking for a meaningful Christmas gift this year? If so, you need look no further. I have a fantastic, sweet short story. I am so excited to share with you my new booklet it's called A Broken-Down Holiday. This is the story of a widowed young mother trying to travel home for the holidays soon after her husband dies, and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. And some of the hard things that she experiences and some of the miracles that you wouldn't think are miracles that she had happen at it is based on a true story that happened to my mother in law. It's great for those friends that you're just like, what do I get them? Something simple that's under five bucks. It's a great stocking stuffer. So if you want to share this message of hope with your friends or family members, check it out A Broken-Down Holiday on TamaraKAnderson.com.
13:06
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there are who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the show notes of today's show, please visit my website storiesofhopepodcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote or a scripture verse that they really really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and the strength to keep going when things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, remember, God loves you.