Poppy has been sitting on her nest, sort of. She sits for a little while, sometimes a whole day, but then she gets up and walks away to hunt and play. Runner Ducks are notoriously poor “sitters”. When they leave the nest (“just for a minute”) to find something to eat or drink, they get distracted and forget to come back to the nest. This morning, I watched Poppy gently turn her big, beautiful, blue egg. She turned it carefully, settled the egg back in her nest, fluffed her own feathers – and then walked out of the duck house!
They are so busy and adorable, the Runner’s are my favorite breed of duck. If I want any eggs to hatch however, I will need to put them in an incubator because these girls just won’t sit still.
“Waiting” is a important discipline. Waiting on the Lord is an invaluable practice. Seeing an assignment or God-given mission through to the end, no matter the cost, inspires heavenly celebrations.
Perseverance. Grit. Determination. Persistence. Purposefulness. Endurance. Tenacity. These are “fighting words” – these words describe an admirable character that won’t quit, won’t give in, won’t give up.
I have noticed (maybe you have too), that the pace of life has accelerated – again. The demands on our time, the appointments and obligations on our schedules exceed the hours available in a day. We can’t escape the calls, texts, requests and deadlines as the constant barrage of needs flow into our pockets or wrists through our i-phones and i-watches.
It is too overwhelming! How do we focus on our God-given calling and finish well when we can’t even fit Him into our schedule until Thursday at 10:00 pm! How do we develop the blessing of “wait” when we can’t sit still?!
The truth is, if we want to experience life differently so that we can practice perseverance, we have to be willing to make the effort to re-examine our obligations and allow God to guide the process. It may be necessary to start with something small, like saying “no” to a new invitation, or doing something measurable like setting a timer to “15 minutes” when you open your social media account. Maybe we need to push a few “eggs out of our nest” and remove some things from our schedule. Do whatever it takes to allow yourself time to breathe… time to realign priorities…and enough time to focus and finish well. And what a joy it will be to hear – “well done, good and faithful servant”! (Mat. 25:21)
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Tim.4:7
