It was Tuesday morning, raining, and I was late for class. The proverbial “icing on the cake” was traffic-issues — along with the additional joy of being sick. Yep, the day was off to a spectacular start!
As I drove past the pond (on the old Campus Crusade for Christ grounds located at Arrowhead Springs, CA) I was suddenly forced to stop the car because of an obstruction in the road: four ducks! They were waddling slowly across the street, apparently in no hurry whatsoever. They were eating snails, talking to each other, and seemed to be enjoying the morning!
As I sat there and watched these happy creatures, I realized there was an obvious lesson for me in this — perhaps more significant than anything I’d be learning in class that day: I was uptight because of the many obstacles hindering me from getting to my destination. The ducks, perhaps inconvenienced by the cars hindering them from reaching their goal (the pond) were enjoying themselves along the way, and reaping benefits to boot: escargot!
It occurred to me that if I would just slow down, like these ducks, when I’m hindered and inconvenienced, I’d probably enjoy life a lot more — and not miss so many of God’s blessings along the way.
I suppose the psalmist summed it up best when he wrote, “You are my God. My times are in Your hands…” (Ps. 31:14-15)