Back

Some of you are old enough to remember when a fried chicken dinner required not only a frying pan but also either kitchen shears or a big knife.  That’s right, back in our day chickens were purchased in grocery stores, not drive-thru windows.  And they looked pretty much like actual chickens, just without feathers, heads and feet.

When my mom served us fried chicken, she insisted on taking the back.  That’s a piece of chicken the Colonel doesn’t serve, of course.  But it’s there, right there with breasts, thighs and drumsticks.  I always thought she was “taking one for the team,” as mothers often do — leaving the choice pieces for the rest of us.  Now I’m starting to wonder if Mom was playing us.

A chicken, of course, is structured much like a pig or a cow — just with wings instead of front legs.  And as with pigs and cows, chickens keep some of the tastiest morsels in their back.  Like the backstrap.  And the ribs.  And the bacon.  Yes! Chickens have bacon!  There is far less meat there than with similar cuts on larger animals, naturally.  But what there is tastes pretty fantastic.

You have to work to get the meat out of the back.  It’s likely to leave you with a face full of grease. But then, practically everything good comes with effort.  And that’s a good thing.  Effort makes success more enticing — and, when and if it arrives, more satisfying.

I want to challenge you to dive deep into your Bible study this week.  Find a cut of meat you have been avoiding and dig in.  Yes, as Peter said, some of Paul’s writings can be challenging (2 Peter 3:15-16).  You may find a blessing there that will make you regret you waited this long.