Herding Ducks on a Pond

Have you ever:

• herded a flock of ducks
• into a fenced in area
• on land
• from an over 1 acre pond
• in a canoe
• at night
• when you can’t see where they are without a flashlight
• with your children on shore to help?

Neither have I, but man we sure gave it our best shot for hours on end. They would get sooo close, and then slip around the canoe, or even get on land and then split and head to the pond. Ahhhhh!

However, the next day, when I am gone all day for a car repair, I come home and all of the ducks are in the net, and my boys have the biggest smiles on their faces! What!?!?!?! (One of our sons wrote about this on his new blog.)

This happened a few days ago and it brings a huge smile to my face as well as a dose of humble self introspection.

A little back story… our ducks found our pond, which is great for them and we’re excited, but it’s not great for continuing to have duck eggs, and racoons and other predators having an evening meal is a concern. They need to be in the new pond side home we built for them and to learn (be trained) to come back home at night.

Okay, about my learning.

The night before my boys were all in (and sometimes Elyse with our 1 year old), we were going to get these ducks into their new fence (as opposed to the chicken coop, where they had been, but had started getting harassed by the chickens). It was going to happen, so until 11pm we were out there and managed to catch one duck, which was known to be the largest and slowest. Not even close for the others.

I had taken control and handled it quite well. My sons admitted that my canoe handling to herd the ducks was doing quite well. We even got them up onto land near the fence. My boys were nicely directed to the best spots, all would go well… until it didn’t and we started all over… again… and again… and again.

You learn about yourself in a time of near success and failure. I learned that I can be a “bit” bossy, and then can blame when someone didn’t do what they were supposed to do (or that I pictured them doing).

My boys were real troopers and stuck with it, but it didn’t work and more importantly, it didn’t create a family bonding and sense of being valued that will keep my boys excited about the family team.

The next day, without me, they succeeded where we had failed. They worked together as a team. They were smart and led the ducks not to the net, but as far from the pond as they could, then cornered and caught them one at a time and brought them back to the fenced area.

Everytime I see the ducks I smile, not because they are there (though that is also exciting), but because of the teamwork that I know was required to get them there. I love that my boys were working together and creating a bonding time. I also love that Elyse let them try. There is some concern with having them out near the pond and out with the canoe in January.

I am also convicted. Our ducks were scared from their home in the chicken coop due to being attacked by the roosters. They had no intentions of going back “home”, and they found a better home (aka: the pond).

If my children are the “ducks”, is our home one they will want to come back to? Is this a place where they are safe? Is this a place where they are loved? Is this a place where they have value and purpose? OR will they find that place somewhere else, out in the world?

Does my attitude draw them in or push them away? Is this a place where they can grow, have purpose and value, or will they find that fulfillment in the world?

They will grow up. Our goal is that they would love to be here, that they would follow Christ wherever he may take them, but that their default is to stay and grow our family team rather than fleeing from it. This is not that they would be children forever under my direction, far from it. It is that they can grow to pursue who God has made them to be, that they could surpass me.

I am still reflecting on this together with Elyse, so don’t have answers (though I have some ideas), am I living in a way that reflects Christ to my family and draws them in, or am I living for self, or for accomplishing a task and driving wedges into relationships?

This is something I am praying about, repenting about, and hopefully truly changing, by the power of God.