Ducks on the Pond

The November morning began unseasonably warm so I grabbed my cup of coffee and onto the porch I went. I know before long the mornings will be much too cold to actually sit outside. In the coming days I will have to set up my vantage point from the kitchen table looking out through the sliding glass doors.

My husband and my son were out hunting together so I took advantage of a few quiet minutes. As I sat, I realized there was some movement off to my left, fairly close to the bank. I had to get a closer look, so I dug out the binoculars to help me out.

Two pair of wood ducks floated out on the pond, swimming silently on the surface of the water. Like ice skaters they glided effortlessly around. The males are the colorful ones, with green on their head that almost glitters in the sun. They pair up in winter and then arrive at the breeding ground in spring. What is amazing about the wood duck pair is that they house hunt together. When a prospective nesting site is found, the male stands guard outside while the female investigates the inside. This struck me as a bit humorous…it sounds like my husband and me, he takes care of the outside and I do the inside. At least for the most part, that is!

As I sat watching these two pair, knowing their habit mentioned above, I couldn’t help but think of the scripture from I Corinthians 13 in which Paul talks about love. Particularly in verse 4, where we see, “Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.” While ducks don’t experience love as we do, I could not help but imagine that male patiently waiting as his mate checks out a possible new nest in which to lay her eggs.

This chapter of I Corinthians ends as verse 13 tells us, “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” How very true when we consider the greatest love has come from God our Father as He sent His only Son to the cross for you and me. God’s love for us is so great, that there is nothing that can separate those that are in Christ Jesus from him. Romans 8:38-39 assures us by saying, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Amen and Amen!

I pray your assurance today is in the unchanging person of Jesus Christ.

(The Pond - 2016)