Sometimes, life throws us into positions and places that are unfamiliar and harsh.

"Will you whither or thrive?" Life inquires from us as she laughs and walks away to the spectators stand.

Being a part-time supervisor my elder brother's poultry has been a role life temporily thrust me into. Going forward, I would say it has been an enlightening experience as there are so many life lessons that can be gleaned from it.
Let's delve into some of them

�Always expect the pecks- You cannot be a poultry farmer without getting pecked with the sharp beak of the chickens. They will peck you when you are feeding them, peck you when you are about to check their water dispenser, and peck you at every other time.
Lesson: Sometimes, those who you are striving to help will peck you for no reason. Your convert may hurt you just because it is just their nature to do so. This is meant for those who are going to reach out to help people during their healing process: do not be discouraged when they peck you, steal from you, and hurt you. Eventually, they will come around by the power of your prayers and the consistency of your active love.

�Forgetfulness is costly- A poultry farmer cannot just forget to feed the chicken for a whole day. Likewise, you can't just forget to switch on their water tank at any time.
Ha! _Olewu gan_ (very risky).
I remember when we forgot to put on the water tank for the chicken in February. The report card came the next day and it showed that 21 chicken had gone to be with their dead compatriots in glory! That number was sickening considering the fact that they died overnight and could not be quickly skinned and kept in the fridge for premium enjoyment galore
Lesson: When helping/mentoring people, alertness is required so they do not slip into a worse state than before. Constantly drum it into the ears of a recovering alcoholic that he shouldn't step into a bar. Consistently follow up disciples with calls, visits, prayers, and more so they do not slip off the road and go fishing in the rivers of deadly habits. Who knows, the shark called overdose may finally reach out and drag them to the deep.

�The principle of separation- A poultry farmer is always sensitive to recognize a layer with health issues (e.g. Newcastle disease). More important, she is quick to isolate the animal before it spreads the contagious disease to others around.
Lesson: It is vital that we easily know the state of those we are helping. Be quick in isolating those who may carry negative traits that are contagious. A leader must know how to skillfully isolate any rebellious alpha of small cliques in his team without raising suspicion. The parent must be quick to recognize and isolate the kid who keeps exhibiting dangerous traits that can be inimical to the progress of the other siblings. The trick is to isolate and WORK ON THE PERSON. Do not isolate and ignore as this would prove to be counter-productive when you eventually reintroduce the rebel to the group again.

�Get used to the nasty smell- A poultry farmer who hasn't gotten used to the smell of faeces us like a nurse who is nauseated with the sight of blood. They do not work! You will need to pack their faeces without holding your nose with a thumb. You will need to feed them without muttering "nyama" at every turn.
Lesson: Those who must save others should not act so high, mighty, and critical all the time. You cannot keep on sighing, putting up a judgemental scowl, spreading gossip, and more just to show your disdain for the state of other people's sin. Even Jesus got used to staying around the most despicable ones that the Pharisees used this to counter His messianic claims. They just couldn't believe that the good shepherd would ward through the murky waters just to save His sheep.
Pray tell, if you wanted to rescue a sheep who is playing in a pig's stay, would you be afraid to walk through the mud? How much more humans who can see and infer from every action you take.
The lesson is this: If you will stand aloof, being critical of every misstep I take towards recovery, leave me the hell alone until a patient saviour comes
If you will always threaten to walk out on me just because I ooze a stench you don't like, leave me the hell alone so I can meet someone whose constant sweet fragrance will overpower my will and force me to ask for the direction to his perfume shop.

I repeat: If you will always threaten to walk out on me just because I ooze a stench you don't like, leave me the hell alone so I can meet someone whose constant sweet fragrance will overpower my will and force me to ask for the direction to his perfume shop.

Helping someone is not a must. It is something you should choose to do because you have the groaning desire to help people get off their feet. It is not for the already perfect fellows who just can't stand any sign of shortcoming from the weak. Nah, it is for them who stand in the gap in spite of the shortcomings until the weak is strenghtened

These are Bashorun's life lessons from Poulty Farming
#Isaiah50:4