Some ducky advice for you

“Are we there yet? How many more minutes until we get there?” Do these questions sound familiar to you? Were you one of those kids who would ask them repeatedly on a long road trip with your family? Do you have kids of your own who did the same thing?

Something about humans makes us want to know what the future holds for us, especially if we live in an uncertain present. As kids, we were captives of those long car rides and just wanted to get to wherever “there” was to get freed from the car’s cramped space and move about more freely. 

 

Due to uncertain times during the past few years, I sometimes feel like I’m on one of those long family road trips again and ask, “Are we there yet? How many more minutes, days, months until we get there?” How about you? Are you eager to know what the future holds for you?

 

Unfortunately, crystal balls don’t work, and all of our guesses are, at their best, educated and, at their worst, something we’ve made up out of thin air. Our best course of action is to be patient. What does that mean?

 

It means living life on life’s terms, exactly where we are. It means remembering what happens and when it happens will be in God’s time, not ours. God is the driver, just as our moms or dads were the drivers on those seemingly endless road trips. We were just along for the ride. So, how can we be patient on this ride when we find our impatience rising?

 

In the totem tradition of Native Americans believe animals are spiritual messengers. Here is the spiritual message from the duck that I think can help each of us ride to our destination with patience:

 

• When life throws something your way that makes you feel down, just duck and say, “Quack, Quack.”
• Drink deeply from the stream of life.
• Paddle through stormy waters with grace and perseverance.
• Laugh at yourself and find strength in a good sense of humor.
• Be gentle with yourself and others.
• Take a feather-light approach to life.

 

Practice being patient. At its center, you will find peace, you will find hope, and you will find God, who is saying, “Relax. I’ve got this!”