Devotion: Tuesday – October 14, 2008
“Growing up in the country afforded me the opportunity to view many of God’s creatures firsthand. I can remember times when I walked down to my uncle’s pond to skip rocks across the surface of the water. While doing this, I sometimes had the opportunity to watch the wild ducks swimming and “bobbing” for food.
The ducks would glide through the air, make their descent, and come in for the smoothest of landings. Having landed, they would then sail across the surface of the water with the greatest of ease.
From time to time, the ducks would violently shake in an effort to rid themselves of the “beads of water” that had collected on their bodies. After shaking, they would keep right on floating, kicking their legs, and letting out an occasional “quack.”
Several days ago, the Lord brought this memory from my boyhood back to me. At first, I didn’t know what He wanted me to see, but this morning, the Lord has clearly shown me the spiritual lesson we can learn from ducks swimming on a pond.
God wants His children to be like ducks in the face of things that bother or irritate us. Inevitably, while landing and swimming in a pond, water will collect on the backs of ducks; however, they don’t stop what they are doing. They simply shake it off and keep right on going.
There are many things in life that will bother us. There are surely people who will irritate us. But we can’t let the problems or people stop us from doing what we need to do. Like the wild ducks, shake it off (give it to the Lord) and keep right on doing what you need to do.
Let me put it another way: Are there things or people bothering and irritating you? If so, make like a duck and shake it off. Keep right on going and let out an occasional “Hallelujah anyhow!”
Summary
This devotion uses a simple childhood memory to convey a profound spiritual lesson. Observing ducks in their natural habitat reveals how we, as God’s children, can handle life’s irritations and setbacks. Ducks don’t let water slow them down; they shake it off and keep going. Similarly, we should let go of frustrations by giving them to the Lord and staying focused on our path. The message concludes with an uplifting reminder to persevere with faith, praising God even in the midst of challenges.
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