We used to live on a forty acre farm that my husband was born and raised on.  During the time we decided to raise some chickens so we could have fresh eggs.  We usually bought about 10 chicks, because we wouldn’t know if we had hens or roosters until they started to grow.  It was fun watching them interact with each other.

Most of the time the chickens got along well with each other, yet we still knew which one was the boss and it wasn’tg always the rooster.  One day we noticed that the hens had singled out one of the smaller hens and began to peck at her.  No matter what we did, we couldn’t get them to stop.

Apparently, they saw her as weak and undesirable so they choose to eliminate her.  By the time we return from church the next day, she was dead.  They had pecked her to the point that her insides were literally falling out.  I wanted to shoot the whole bunch of bullies.  Then I was reminded that they were only doing what was normal for chickens.  Chickens are  not very bright, so I’m sure they had not plotted to destroy this poor little hen.  It’s just part of their life cycle,  like it or not.

When it comes to Christians, however, we should know better.  How many times do we see someone “pecking away” at the self worth of a brother?  Or challenging the integrity of a sister?  God did not give  us the right to judge our fellow believers.  He never called us to purposely hurt one another.  In fact Jesus taught us quite the opposite.

In Galatians 6:1 it says,”Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”   Restore in meekness doesn’t sound like pecking to me.

Paul goes on to say in verse 2 that we are to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.  Jesus wants us to encourage and support each other.  If a person is actually living in sin, there is a proper way to deal with that, in love and meekness.  But, if we just don’t think they did the right thing, or made the right decision about an issue, we have no right to “peck at them”.  We don’t have the right to judge them.

We are to help them with their burden, not add to it.  We are to show compassion.  We are to speak word of love and comfort.  That’s what Jesus does for us and He is our great example.