I'm going to start by telling you a story about ducks, but don't worry it will translate into how the Lord totally spoke a sweet message to me in church on Sunday.
I am back in Texas for the summer and so happy to have a break from school for a little while. Around April 16th we had a duck nest in our backyard around our pool. My mom and Bill built a chicken wire fence around the nest and made a small entry for the momma duck. We did this to keep our dog out and away from the nest...considering she likes to hunt! My mom spent six weeks waking up every morning and checking on the TWELVE duck eggs. Each morning the momma duck was on her nest keeping her babies warm. Ever so often her and the daddy would fly off for a quick Starbucks drink but without fail they would both land and daddy duck would wait for momma duck to get back on her nest and then he would fly away for a day or two. They did this for several weeks and then daddy stopped showing up. However, momma duck hardly ever left her babies. It was so sweet and special to watch. We were so excited for the babies to hatch and have our own little ducks. Of course, we didn't plan on keeping them forever but we were excited to watch them hatch and find their way to the pond right by our house.
All was fine and dandy until one night my mom and I both heart momma duck making an awful noise. We both get up to see what is going on. We find momma duck in the pool making so much noise - we knew something was in our yard. She was trying to protect her nest. We grab a flashlight and go into the yard...THERE IS A FOX!!!!!! Not one, but TWO! OMG! We immediately go into protect mode and we do everything we can to keep that stupid fox away from OUR babies! We stay up all night and everything the fox would climb out of the bushes we would make some gosh awful noise, which usually consisted of barking and we threw shoes and balls. It was quite a site and quite funny! However, it wasn't funny for long. The next day there was no fox...he was just messing with us! Just when we thought he wasn't going to return to our yard HE DID! The third night, I for some reason look out the backdoor and see the stinkin fox again! So I begin to guard the nest AGAIN! However, this time the fox out smarted me! The poor momma duck flew off because there was absolutely nothing she could do. I didn't see the fox for over an hour so I just knew it was gone for good. Wrong. I woke up the next morning to find no momma duck and no babies! I just began to cry. I was so sad. The worst was yet to come....momma duck flys back, lands in our pool, and climbs her way up to the nest. Just to find no babies. She gets back in th pool and flys away! Talk about break your heart!!!! I just cried because I felt like I failed. I felt like it was my duty to help the helpless momma duck guard her nest. And I went to bed. She thought her babies would be safe in our yard, away from the wildlife. It made me so sad. The babies were just mere days from hatching. Heartbreaking. The momma spent six weeks guarding, protecting, and keeping her babies warm. All she wanted was to nest in a safe place and keep her babies warm and safe. Broke my heart.
Watching this momma duck protect her nest translates in my life, and all of our lives, how our Lord protects over us. Unfortunately, there are many foxes in our lives, or satan, that try to essentially "eat" us! We must remember that satan is sly, sneaky, harmful, and dangerous just like a fox. However, we serve an Almighty King who keeps us warm, protects our heart, guides, directs, cares for, loves, etc... When satan enters our lives, which he tries on a daily basis, we are filled with worldly, uncomfortable situations. Our Lord watches from a far wanting to be in control of our life, just like the momma duck wanted to save her babies. Thankfully, our Lord is far more powerful than the momma duck and can move mountains and walk on water. This same Lord is in control of each of our lives, loves us deeply, and will protect us!
Resting in God's Love, Mercy, and Guidance,
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