I am sitting outside on the patio at my in-laws, watching five female mallards frantically eat something in the lawn of the golf course that butts up to their back yard. I have watched them, on and off now, for about thirty minutes.
A couple of them are laying down eating. Yet, their speed is the same as the other three – fast and furious. It’s as if they are going to starve if they don’t eat their share. It’s as if they are going to be caught in darkness if they don’t eat quickly as the sun sets. It’s as if they don’t want to let anyone else enjoy the feast they have found. It’s as if they know something I don’t.
That final thought is what occurred to me as I saw them, without warning of danger, without any movement to frighten then, scamper quickly off to the side of the third hole and head for the bushes. Within ten seconds, the sprinklers came on. I laughed. They did know something I didn’t.
It reminds me of two things…
God takes care of us: Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26
We are of more valuable than the birds that fly through the air or scavenge the earth for something to eat. Sometimes it can feel as though we are walking this path alone – foraging for a job, hoping to be healed of a disease, seeking restoration of a relationship. If God cares so much about a duck in the grass that He has provided for his (or her) every need, won’t he do at least that, if not more, for you?
To be alert: No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! Mark 13:31-333a
Perhaps those ducks were frantic because they were on guard. They somehow knew that soon the water would pop from the ground and burst forth and didn’t want to be caught without their umbrellas. They knew they must hurry. They knew their time was at hand.
A farfetched idea, but you get the point. I wonder if I am so alert and on guard. After all, ducks don’t know how to tell time so that they know when to exit the greens. But, I do believe they just might detect the rushing water coming closer and know it’s a sign to make haste. Just maybe.
Maybe enough to paint a picture for me to be reminded that I want to live so that I am not anxious about tomorrow because I know by Father in heaven cares more about me than the ducks he takes care of. And maybe enough to paint a picture for me to be reminded to be on guard and alert to His Son coming to take me home.
Yes, I will rest in knowing that while we wait for our glorious exit, He will continue to care for us and meet our every need.
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