Raising Chickens...

We live on a small hobby farm. I enjoy keeping a flock of laying hens- they crack me up! They're fun to raise and are laying an abundance of beautiful brown eggs for us to sell/eat these days. After much searching, I obtained a beautiful Rooster for my girls and named him 'Rocky'. He has taken to my pretty bitties just fine- totally rules the roost.... Well, at least he did for a while. Then along came another rooster from the neighbor up the hill. Now they raise a totally different breed than the variety I have- they are fighting & game chickens that escaped from a local man who I suspect raises them for cock fights. Anyway, one morning I went down the hill to the barn and there was this other rooster making eyes at my hens. I wasn't too happy about it at first, so I picked up rocks and chased him off. (Never hitting him of course) Alas, he would just dodge & come right back. Then I tried chasing him back to his own property, but to no avail. No sooner would I run him up the hill than I'd turn my back and hear the sound of his little feet pitter-pattering for the barn area again and I'd turn just in time to see his tail-feathers disappear down the hill. Grrrr. Well, I didn't want a game cock romancing my hens, but one morning when I went down the hill to the barn- there he was again, only this time he was flirting with Ruby- my prized Rhode Island Red. I started to reach for a rock, but decided to watch for a minute and see what he would do. Well, turns out it's kinda neat to watch him. He stands at a distance, crows loudly to impress the girls, then he comes very slowly up to one of them. Ruby was checking out the handsome stranger. He sidled up to her and using his wings like a cape, he did a little dance around her. (Resembles a Mexican hat dance.) The sun was shining on his feathers- he actually looked quite beautiful. He danced until Ruby was all a-flutter, then he did his thing and ran off. She stood up, shook the dust off and went running after him- guess she forgot all about Rocky! Anyway, after weeks of trying to get rid of the love-sick intruder, he was sleeping in a tree near the barn every night & growing thin. (Guess doing 15 Mexican hat dances a day burns lots of calories.) I've finally accepted him as part of my flock and started feeding him. The neighbors say "Keep him". So, now Romeo has a name and a new home. My point is: there's a lot to be said for persistence- I'm applying this to my prayer life. Jacob wrestled with God- until he received a blessing. Maybe we should do the same?