January 13, 2024

Scripture Study:

—The well-known Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard tells a wonderful parable that reads as follows: 

—“A wild duck was flying in the springtime northward across Europe. During the flight he came down in a Danish barnyard where there were tame ducks. He enjoyed some of their corn. He stayed for an hour, then for a day, then for a week, then for a month, and finally, because he relished the good food and the safety of the barnyard, he stayed all summer. But one autumn day when the flock of wild ducks were winging their way southward again, they passed over the barnyard, and their friend heard their cries. He was stirred with a strange thrill of joy and delight, and with a great flapping of wings he rose in the air to join his old comrades in their flight. But he found that his good food had made him so soft and heavy that he could rise no higher than the eaves of the barn. So he dropped back again to the barnyard, and said to himself, ‘Oh well, my life is safe here and the food is good.’ Every spring and autumn when he heard the wild ducks honking, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would begin to flap his wings. But finally the day came when the wild ducks flew over him and uttered their cry, but he paid not the slightest attention to them.”

—It’s so easy to fall into a life of ease and forget the glories of flying high. For some of us this means having forgotten what it was like in the exciting months and years after we first got saved and now we’re merely on cruise control. For others this may mean that you’re overwhelmed by life, and you aren’t even trying any more to rise above your circumstances. You’ve grown complacent!

—You used to read your Bible every day—“I’ll start again tomorrow,” you say.

—You’re letting your children talk back more lately—“I’m just so tired to do anything about it right now! It’s been a really long day.”

—You find yourself watching things on television that you know you shouldn’t—“It doesn’t really affect me,” you try to convince yourself. “It goes in one ear and out the other.”

—Do you remember this verse? I’ve shared it before, but once again it stirs my heart. “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles [or even ducks]. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

—Look to the Lord. He can lift you from the barnyard.

—Daniel McCabe