Most people refer to rose colored glasses as a failure to see the bad in a relationship, or the unwillingness to compromise when a situation is dire and wrong. The actual definition is a pair of lenses worn by a chicken to prevent said chicken from recognizing blood on other chickens which may increase the tendency for abnormal injurious behavior.
Unfortunately, chickens also have pecking orders, and they don’t make the glasses small enough for baby chicks. This is how I came to love Peep.
Peep was born in an incubator in the upstairs bedroom of our old house. We were hip to the fact that once in a while you might end up with a feather baby with a cross-break or a stargazer neck, but you rarely hear of other deformities with newly hatched chicks.
It was always an exciting time to hear those babies chirping in the confines of their shells because you knew that soon that egg would give way to an adorable fluffy creature with its own personality. My heart was happy to receive pictures on my cell phone when those babies made their entrance into the world while I was at work. My coworkers enjoyed them as well, and I relished in showing off my “grandchickens.”
I rushed home that evening and ran upstairs to see them in all their adorable glory, but noticed that my newlings seemed to be picking on one of their own more so than the usual “Leave me be. I’m trying to sleep” fashion. One of the babies was desperately hobbling to the huddle, but he was promptly pecked and pushed away. I thought it was strange for a chicken move that way, and it concerned me that he was an outcast. That usually meant there was something wrong with the poor thing.
I surely didn’t have tiny sets of rose-colored glasses, so I reached in and scooped up the little one who immediately settled into the warmth of my hand and dozed off. I sat in a chair and held him as he slept, and looked him over as best as I could without waking him. My eyes fell upon something odd on his leg, and I realized that the little guy was born with only one knee. The other leg was perfect, but this one didn’t bend or move at all. It was pin straight and explained why he hobbled and hopped.
Upon discovering this new revelation, we set to work building him his own little fortress away from the others, but still close enough to receive the warmth of the heat lamp.
I spent every minute I could with him when I wasn’t at work. I would enter the room and when he heard my voice, he would start peeping his fuzzy head off until I picked him up. This earned him the name Peep.
We would do our own physical bird therapy where I would lay on my tummy on the floor and set Peep away from me. I would call his name and he would frantically hop to snuggle under my chin as fast as he could. The idea was to strengthen his good leg while he adjusted to hopping on the other. Animals adapt all the time, so I had high hopes for my feather baby.
Sadly, my Peep only lived for a week. We went upstairs to check on our little ones only to find him cold and stiff in his cardboard fortress. We concluded that there was possibly more wrong with him than what we saw on the outside. I guess that was just me wearing my own rose-colored glasses.
My purpose in telling this story is not to give you an unhappy ending, but to teach you to love all things big and small despite their differences. Peep was happy in his short little life. He was not euthanized or thrown out because he was weaker. He was not judged or abandoned because he had an abnormality. He was accepted, and he was wanted.
What if our Great Creator decided that we were not worthy because of our flaws? What if He let us go instead of loving us despite of who we are? Love yourselves. Love each other, and love and accept those with different circumstances.
1 Timothy 1:5
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Deuteronomy 27:18-19 Cursed is anyone who leads a blind person astray on the road.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.‘ ‘Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’
