We have a duck who thinks she is a chicken! Why? Because she hangs out with the chickens. I fondly call them “the amigos.” She has been with them since birth.

Sadly, her sibling died, and to keep her from being lonely, we kept her with the chickens. She has learned to run like a chicken, eat like a chicken, and scratch like a chicken. I often wonder, if momma had raised this duckling along with the sister duckling, how different the duckling’s lifestyle might be. She would take flight and explore all the nearby ponds, looking for her food.

Every day that I am in the chicken coop watching our cute little amigos, I am reminded of a book I read years ago, Turkeys and Eagles by Peter Lord. As I remember the parable, it went something like this: It was about an eaglet that was raised by turkeys. He walked and ate and thought like a turkey – never learning to eat meat and to soar through the sky.

Eventually, as the eaglet matured into an eagle, an inner frustration developed as he longingly looked into the sky at soaring eagles. Sometimes he would see a rabbit and wish he could eat one. Eventually, a wise old owl enlightened him of his identity and challenged him to “go for it.” The young eagle began to soar and eat meat with a great sense of fulfillment and joy.

What do chickens and ducks and turkeys and eagles have to do with the ministry of kids? IDENTITY! We must teach them who they are in Christ! “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”¹Proverbs 23:7a

We need to speak to them with respect and remind them of who they are in Christ because there is power in our words.² Sometimes, we don’t know what they have been hearing at home and at school.  What a child believes about their identity will determine their behavior.

Our duck walks with the chickens, rather than flying above the pastures looking for another pond.  She scavenges the soil for food rather than dipping into a pond for food. Make it your goal that every child that comes under your wings will have an identity uplift. They will know who they are in Christ Jesus and what they are capable of doing, even at their young age.

Go on a treasure hunt! Every child has a treasure inside begging to be discovered and developed. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”⁹Ask the Lord to show you the gifts within each one of your kids and begin encouraging and developing them. With a little encouragement, they will become viable citizens in the kingdom of God.

Be inspired with a testimony of one of our eight years olds. One of the many treasures within her is to encourage.  After hearing a lesson on healing and being trained on how to lay hands on the sick and pray, she took it a step further. She made a cross for a family friend who had stage 4 cancer. She sent it with a note that included healing scriptures. The recipient was so blessed she wrote a thank you note saying; “…she is a young age minister. My faith has been increased and I feel so blessed.

”Identity Theft   First Seen on kimitenn.org website – December 2014

 Lori conducts School of Supernatural Children’s Ministry training and Power Club training events. She is available to speak in churches as a Kids in Ministry representative and is also available for parenting classes. You can contact Lori by e-mailing kimilori@yahoo.com or calling 757-777-7371.

Footnotes:

1. Proverbs 23:7a

2. Proverbs 18:21

3. Philippians 4:13

4. Ephesians 2:10

5. Romans 3:6-8

6. Genesis 1:26-27 and Psalms 139:14

7. 1 Peter 2:9

8. Hebrews 1:14, Luke 15:10

9. Matthew 16:26

10. Romans 8:35

11. 2 Corinthians 4:7