Sunday, November 14, 2010

I Want to be a Duck

Well not literally. But I do want to act more like one. Now before you get the wrong idea (I'm not going to start waddling around and quacking), let me explain.

When ducks build a nest to lay their eggs in, they line it with feathers. Not a big surprise I suppose. Ducks instinctively know that they want the best nest, a soft nest for their babies. But it is where the feathers come from that I want to emulate.

We have chickens and they molt. There are feathers all over the place. Almost always. I would assume that where there are lots of ducks, there would also be lots of duck feathers laying around. Hence, lots of feathers for lining their nests. But ducks don't use those feathers.

Ducks pluck the feathers right from their breast. The feathers that are deep down. They are the softest. And sometimes, they hurt to pluck. But it's the best for their soon-to-be babies.

So I want to be a duck. I want to always choose the best for my kids. And sometimes (well, lots of times for me) that means making the hard choice. The choice to put them first even when it hurts.

When my ears are tired and the Bug wants to talk about who knows what - Pluck! - I need to listen. When Leeny and Bubby are pestering each other - Pluck! - It's time to disciple them.
When the Baby is fussy and I've got a zillion other things to do - Pluck! - I need to comfort her. When I'm on the phone or computer or reading a book and a need arises - Pluck! - I need to take care of it.

The molted feathers are easier, half-listen to the Bug, yell from the other room for Bubby and Leeny to stop pestering each other, let the Baby fuss. Talk on the phone and ignore the kids, do my own thing. All easier. And it's easy to justify the "molted feathers" with any number of things like, at least I'm home with them, etc., etc. But it's not what's best.

Sure there are lots of "molted feathers" laying around. Our culture tells us to just use the molted feathers. They are still feathers after all. But God calls us to use the feathers that are deep down. So, I want to be a duck. Pluck!

1 comment:

  1. I love this blogpost. Very well said and a beautiful reminder that God equips us with all that we need to be the kind of mothers our children need. We just have to dig under the surface beyond what is easy. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete