One spring morning, a tiny red hen found five golden grains of wheat. She called to her baby chicks, "Oh, looky, looky, my little chickadees!" Her three chicks gathered round, but so did Darfy Dog, Picky Pig, and Crusty Cat.
"Let us plant these seeds," the red hen said. But when she looked around, Darfy Dog, Picky Pig, and Crusty Cat went scampering off to hide in the barn. So the tiny red hen took her chicks and together they planted the golden grains of wheat.
Every day the hen checked the ground where the seeds lay buried. Every day she watched as her chicks watered that ground. Soon enough the tiny plants sprouted and began to grow, taller and ever more regal.
"Let us cut this wheat," the red hen said. But when she looked around for her friends, to her surprise Darfy Dog, Picky Pig, and Crusty Cat ran whistling off to the pond. So the tiny red hen took her chicks and they carefully cut down the wheat. The mother hen told her chicks, "We will take this wheat to the miller so that we may have flour for bread."
The hen family walked the long distance to the miller. By the time the miller ground the wheat into flour and poured it in a sack, the sun had risen high in the sky. And by the time the tiny red hen and her chicks had returned home, the sun was setting. Picky Pig, Darfy Dog, and Crusty Cat were sprawled in front of the hen's little home, singing and carrying on something fierce!
"Who will help me make this flour into bread," the red hen asked. But the group of friends was so noisy, the hen simply hefted the flour sack back onto her shoulder and her chicks followed her inside. Carefully closing the door, together the small family set out to make a yummy loaf of bread. As the fragrant dough began to bake, Picky Pig poked his head through the tiny hen's window. "Mmmm, that smells great. Can't wait."
The bread cooked further and Crusty Cat called, "Wow, want some of that!" And just after the tiny hen removed the bread from the oven, Darfy Dog knocked on the door and howled in misery, "I'm sooooo hungryyyyyy. Please let me in."
The tiny red hen looked at her chicks. Her three small chicks looked back at her. Slowly they nodded their heads. The little red hen reached into her apron pocket and pulled out one remaining wheat kernel and began walking towards the front door.
Application:
Ask your family questions along these lines to help them explore leadership principles:
- Why did the tiny red hen continue towards her goal of bread, even though she didn't receive help from her friends?
- When her friends kept choosing the easy way, what did she choose instead? What was her reward for doing so? What kept her going?
- How important are families, especially in the Lord's eyes, when friends fail us? Why?
- What can we remember from the tiny red hen when we face peer pressure?
- Why did the tiny hen not give a slice of bread when her friends asked for it? So why did she give a wheat kernel to her friends, when she could have been mean to them? Why would that stay with them longer than "a slice of bread" would? What does hard work and effort teach us? What is the value of having honest consequences?
In closing, introduce the following concept and invite your family to discuss its meaning:
We have been told that Christ is like the Bread of Life. When we choose Christ — even if our friends don't — what will our rewards be? (see John 6:35. And just like the hen offered a kernel to her friends, what can we offer to ours?
Closing Song: #116 Come Follow Me
Closing Prayer: By invitation.
Refreshments: Here is a link to a simple recipe of tasty homemade bread and a bread spread. Not only does homemade bread add a warm and memorable feeling to a home, but also it makes the perfect ending to this thematic FHE.
