Shirley splashed her feet in the clear cool waters of Portage Lake. Then she glanced up quickly at the excited quack of a duck. A few feet away Mother Duck was swimming rapidly through the water with her five little ducklings close behind. However, one little fellow started to drop behind, and Shirley smiled as the mother quacked a sound, scolding at him.
Shirley watched as Little Quack fell even farther behind. Mother Duck continued to scold excitedly. Little Quack bobbed under the water and popped up again. He seemed barely able to keep his head above water.
“Look, Ruth,” exclaimed Shirley, “that poor little duck is going to drown. I wonder what’s wrong with him. Let’s see if we can help.”
Jumping quickly into a canoe by the dock, they were soon paddling out to where Little Quack was struggling to stay afloat. Reaching over the side of the canoe, Shirley gently tried to lift the little fellow out of the water, but he seemed so heavy. Then as she raised him above the surface, she discovered what was wrong. A good-sized turtle had a firm grip on Little Quack’s leg and was trying to pull him under water. They lifted both little duck and turtle into the canoe, and then the turtle let go.
“That terrible turtle!" exclaimed Ruth. And with that they seized it by the leg and threw it as far as they could across the lake. With a loud plop and splash it hit the water, and disappeared below.
“There!” Shirley exclaimed. “He’s not likely to bother those little ducks any more.”
She hugged Little Quack tenderly as they paddled over to where Mother Duck and her brood were swimming about. Gently she placed the little fellow as close to his mother as she could get. Thankful and happy after his dreadful experience, Little Quack was soon swimming with great glee back to his mother and brothers and sisters.
The two girls sat for a while and enjoyed watching the little duck family swimming about together, and then they saw a motor boat rapidly approaching. The driver cut the motor and the craft slowed down and floated in to where they sat.
“Why are you girls bothering those ducks?” came a gruff voice. “Why can’t you just let nature alone?”
“But a turtle had the little duck by its foot!” explained Shirley.
The man grunted impolitely. “Well, just leave the ducks alone,” he said; “they’ll be all right.” Then starting his motor, with a scowl he roared off down the lake.
Both girls were taken aback at the man’s coarse ingratitude, and there were tears in Shirley’s eyes.
“They’ll be all right, huh!” repeated Ruth. “If we had left them alone, there would have been one dead little duck!”
It was love in the heart of those girls to want to save Little Quack, and it was love in the heart of God that moved Him to send Jesus into this world to save sinners like you and me. Just as bad old Turtle had a firm grip of Little Quack and was dragging him down to death, so Satan has a hold on poor sinners that no power can break but God Himself. Jesus the Son of God came into this world to destroy the power of the devil, and this He did when on the cross. He went into death and rose again, the mighty Victor over death and Satan. All who believe on Him by faith are now set free from Satan’s power. Their sins are gone, too, and they “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The man who severely scolded the girls for interfering with nature reminds us of those who do not want the kindness of God themselves, and they do not like to see others saved by grace. They do not want to be saved, but prefer to go on in their sins, and it disturbs them when they see or hear of someone being saved and turning to God. May we each know what it is to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” and rejoice to see others prove what a wonderful Saviour Jesus is.
ML-11/11/1979