How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
Psalm 36:7-11 KJV
Two weeks ago, the mama duck in the photo was swimming around with six ducklings. They were sleeping on the bank about one hundred yards from the house. Last week, I woke up and mama and her brood of now five ducklings were next to my back porch. The babies were sleeping. Mama was standing on the bank of the river standing guard, watching over the water. For what she watching, I am not sure. Maybe, she was watching for predators. Maybe, she was looking for her sixth baby. Maybe, she was doing both. I thought that sixth baby must have become some predator's lunch. However, later that day while mama and what was left of her brood were swimming in front of the house, I could see a lone duckling hiding in the weeds downstream. It struck me that this lone duck may have decided to be independent and left the brood like many young people who are not prepared to strike out on their own. I have not seen this little duckling since that day. Mama duck is still on vigilant alert chasing after the rest of the brood when they get too far from her; watching out over the water for predators and 8most probably her lost baby.
Children do tend to think that they can handle anything adults can handle. A few rare teen-agers may be able to. But, most do not have the life experience to face the world alone without ending up in a major crisis or danger. This world has predators just waiting for the wandering child. Most parents try to protect their children as much as they can. But, there are some children who will reject that protective eye and leave too early, anyway.
God, our Father, wants to protect us as well. He wants to protect us from ourselves and our willful ways. Sadly, we often wander and lose ourselves. Some, to deadly ends.
Do not let the foot of pride come against you, and let not the hand of the wicked remove you from the presence of our Father. Put your trust in the Lord. In His lovingkindness, He desires to shelter you under His wings. Stay there and do not stray. Stay where the light shines and darkness will not overtake you.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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