The Faith Of A Duck

As I drove to work one morning, I noticed movement in the grass to the left. I slowed down, trying to identify what was heading into my lane of traffic. Suddenly I saw what was causing the commotion: three little ducklings, one following the other, all making a beeline for the other side of the road.

I slammed on my brakes, worried about those three little guys so determined to cross the road. I knew it would be a miracle if they made it across all six lanes of traffic, and I lifted up a little prayer for them. Actually, I wished they could fly, so they could avoid the traffic altogether.

The car next to me zipped by, just missing the leader of the three. They made it across the next two lanes of traffic, but then the wind from passing cars knocked the third duckling backward. He reeled and tumbled to the ground, then bounced back up, got his bearings straight and raced off after his two buddies. As I moved on, I could see in my rearview mirror that despite the onslaught of traffic, all three ducks made the trek safely to the other side. It seemed nothing less than a miracle.

The picture of those little fellas—heads into the wind, flapping their tiny wings and waddling at top speed—hung in my mind as I made my way to work. I kept seeing that one little duck spinning and tumbling down. The more I thought about him, the more I could relate to him. There have been times in my life when I've prayed and invested days or even weeks into a plan that seemed foolproof, or so I thought. Just when I saw light at the end of the tunnel, I was thrown a curve that knocked me silly. I questioned and doubted and tended to my bruises. I asked, "Why me?" and waited for someone to make it all better.

For that little duck, there was no question about what to do after the wind sent him tumbling. He was determined to get to his destination no matter what. He got up and just kept on going.

Isn't that what faith is all about? Isn't that where true victory lies? It's not in dwelling on the difficulties of the journey or the hurdles we might have to cross. And if we flew across every hurdle that entered our path, our faith would never grow at all. Faith and victory spring to life when we stick to the path appointed for us and, like my little duck friend, just take the next step.