Mama Duck was not messing around today. She viewed me as a threat to her babies, and she wasn’t having any of it. She squawked and hissed at me. She immediately put herself between her ducklings and me as I approached them. She became their shield, their protector. At one point, the time of this picture to be exact, she stopped, took an about face and stared me down, daring me to come even an inch closer. I was not in any way trying to get close to, or heaven forbid, do any harm to this darling little family. Long, quiet, reflective daily walks is one of the many blessings I have been served as a result of COVID-19. And this morning I just happened to be witness to Mama Duck and her adorable little brood waddling along our shared path.
The irony of this situation is that while I was walking, I was thinking that I was in a bit of a “freeze” with my writing. Beyond my daily prayer, gratitude, reflection and journaling time, I haven’t had a burning desire to put pen to paper. I haven’t had an “aha” moment, experience, or idea that I felt warranted me expressing it, sharing it, or writing about it. This is one of the things that I was reflecting on and talking to God about during my walk. I was feeling kind of bummed about not having written anything “official”, anything to be shared, in more than a week. My personal writing is just as meaningful, if not more so, than the writing I share. But, the writing I share, reaches others, helps others, witnesses to others, and I get a warm feeling inside that God smiles every time. So, my prayer to God was, “Lord when you have something for me to say, please give me the story, give me the words.” I write because it feels good to me; it is therapy for my soul. I share what I write when God lays it upon my heart to do so. With writing “funk” on my heart this morning and a prayer whispered heaven’s way, I rounded the corner of my daily walking path and there she was, there they were… Mama Duck and her Little Ducklings.
A smile crossed my lips and joy filled my heart as Mama Duck proudly strutted across the street, her innocent little ducklings following carefully and closely behind. As I got closer, Mama Duck walked faster; and the little ducklings practically buried themselves under her wings. Fearing that I was a threat to her babies, Mama Duck kept guiding them along while also keeping a very close eye on me. I was in no way, trying to hurt, scare or harm her or her little ducklings. But, then I realized regardless of my actions, regardless of my intentions, she still felt threatened. She was scared that harm may be coming her way or even worse coming to her babies. And then it hit me… Mama Duck is just like me. She is a devoted mother who will move heaven and earth to keep her babies safe. Just like me, she searches for the perfect nests to settle in to serve as the safe haven for her family. In the moment of fear and vulnerability for her children, she expressed that she was not going to back down, and she used intimidating tactics to try and frighten me. In her mind, I was the enemy; I was a threat, so she was giving me a taste of my own medicine. She was showing her babies the same loyalty I show mine. She was expressing her love, affection and never ending desire to protect her little ducklings. Just like my own children, Mama Duck’s babies were attached to her, and this is why they were marching like little soldiers behind her and then nestling up close when I got closer. I spoke nicely, kept my distance, and quickly moved along, as I did not want to entice more fear in Mama her or babies.
As I continued my walk, this encounter began to strike a different chord with me. I have had countless interactions like the one just described. But then God spoke to me, “Use this, Jodi. This is the story; I will give you the words.” Almost immediately, the pieces started fitting together; clear connections were being made in my mind. I began relating my interaction with Mama Duck and her Little Ducklings to the latest interactions that we, as a society, are encountering. Sadly, we are all well versed in knowing and understanding that the interactions that are occurring are not pretty. They are not lessons that we set out to teach our children. They are interactions that are filled with emotion, and not the good kind. Unfortunately, a lot of the interactions are filled with hate and rage; they are filled with ignorance. Or even worse, the actions or words of one side or the other or both are misunderstood. There is a misperception that there is imminent rage, hate, or a threat. Just as Mama Duck viewed me as a threat, and used her “words” and offended, defensive stance to back me down, we as humans are often misinterpreting each others’ views and intentions. Or, even worse, we are living in a time where our fellow human race is using words that are not thoughtful; they are not insightful. Rather they are hateful. Unfortunately, some have even resorted to the use of violence and to burning, looting and destroying our communities.
As I thought of this, and I thought of how children look to us, the adults, to guide them and teach them and show them the way as Mama Duck was her ducklings, I was shook. While Matt and I do our best to model loving, accepting, respecting ideals for others in our home, I know we fall short… we’re human. But, I was rattled to the core because my mind went to our children, the children of this country. What are we modeling for them? When we yell, name call, judge others using derogatory terms, we are blaming, shaming, degrading, humiliating, threatening, and dehumanizing someone’s “little duckling”. Would we want that same behavior directed to our own children? Our kids, our “ducklings”, they are watching, following, and listening more carefully and closely than we think. And, they are learning from our every move; our actions and words will become theirs. I daresay, our youth have been the real leaders in this whole, big, ugly mess. Every encounter that I have had, whether in person, on the news, or on social media that was led by our youth, was peaceful, powerful, and filled with insightful, enlightening, and promising action.Maybe we Mama Ducks should stand down for a bit and let our “little ducklings” take the lead.
This is not to say that every adult is behaving poorly and leading blindly. I have hope for our future generations and this country because I know that many of us are no longer conforming; we are rising to His call and we are transforming. We are hitting “pause”; we are listening; we are learning; we are leaning in hard. We want to be better. We are all God’s children; we are made in His likeness and image. May our words be His words, our actions His actions, and our thoughts, His thoughts. Each day we are gifted with a new beginning. He clothes us in His righteousness. He showers us with compassion and mercy. And He forgives us of all our sins. Who then are we to dare pass judgement on others? The very heart of the gospel is that God so loved the whole world that he gave his Son. Not the white world, not the black world, not the brown world, not the straight world, not the gay world, not the rich world, not the poor world, not the educated world, not the uneducated world. He loved THE WORLD...THE. WHOLE. WORLD. And, my friend, He still does.
What does God ask of us but to learn to do good? “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Justice is defined first and foremost as a relational term- people living in right relationship with God, one another, and His natural creation- yes, even the “Little Ducklings”. He is just and loving; and He calls us to be just and live in love. We are all equal in the eyes of God. He created all of us. He loves all of us. So as Mama Duck did for her “Little Ducklings”, and as we do for our own children and families, let’s stand up and speak up for each other. Let’s listen and learn from each other. Let’s accept and protect each other just the way God made us - each different and unique for His purpose. Let’s dare to defend each other as if we are all little ducklings waddling through this wonderful world.
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