Let Loose The Ducks

The town where my children went to school is quite picturesque.
The town has 45 acres of parkland including four ponds and the Brandywine Creek.
Years ago, some Canadian geese spotted one of these lovely ponds.
They were heading south for the winter and this spot was the perfect rest stop.

The people enjoyed seeing them there.
The geese added to the picturesque landscape.
People began feeding them pieces of bread.
The geese stayed; goslings arrived and soon the population of geese was getting out of control.

It became a sanitation problem.
Everyone walking through town needed to watch their step.
The geese found a perfect habitat and easy access to food.
They stopped migrating and took up permanent residence.

The geese would cover the local baseball field.
The geese would nest in people’s homes.
People tried all sorts of humane tactics to get rid of the geese.
Finally, a controlled goose hunt was put in place with an extended hunting season.

The number of geese became a problem.
It became a problem for the ducks that also came to the pond.
The problem was not just a nuisance.
The problem proved fatal for the ducks.

Geese feed on land but ducks feed in the water.
That particular summer there was a lack of rain.
The ponds were shallower than usual.
The ducks were feeding on the things they found at the bottom of the pond.

With so many geese, and so much waste, you can imagine what the ducks were eating.
Large numbers of ducks were found dead that year.
The cause was a strain of botulism that is not dangerous to humans or geese.
However, it is a strain of botulism that is fatal to ducks.

Since that time, the geese population has been controlled.
The idyllic scenery and picturesque landscape is back.
People do not have to watch their step quite as much when they walk.
People are no longer ignoring the Do Not Feed warnings.

Everything is now balanced and seemingly under control.
It is hard to imagine that there was a time when this situation was out of hand.
I had not thought about this problem until I came upon a story.
It was a story that made me laugh, while appreciating the ingenuity of the solution.

At the Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, people come to see the ducks.
The ducks are known as Indian Runner ducks that were originally brought from Asia.
These Indian Runner ducks have become something of a tourist attraction.
The ducks parade through the estate twice daily, once at 9:45am and again at 3:30pm.

The ducks have quite a bit of freedom on the estate but are herded by a keeper each day.
They have been in the vineyards since 1984; they were brought in to work the fields.
The estate has a breeding program for the birds.
The ducks act as living pesticides and they contribute to the fertilization of the vineyards.

The ducks help the estate have more environmentally friendly farming practices.
The ducks are sent out into the fields twice a day to help control snails and pests.
The good bugs live and the not-so-good bugs are eaten by the ducks.
The ducks help to harvest the best grapes for the Runner Duck wine company.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. (Song of Songs 2:15)

There are little things in our life that spoil the blossoms that appear on the vine.
There are little things in our life that if left unattended can cause the harvest to be affected.
Our vineyard may look picturesque and idyllic but something is infiltrating it.
Something is destroying it ever so slightly.

Let loose the ducks!
Let loose that which will let the good things live but destroy the not so good things in your life.
Only God’s Word can be let loose so that the harvest will be fruitful.
Only God’s Word can get in there and give us the discernment we need to clean our vineyard.

The Vergenoegd Wine Estate‘s Indian Runner ducks have a one track mind.
They are let loose and they run en masse towards the vineyard.
They set their eyes towards the goal.
They let nothing deter them until they reach their destination.

As a result, the vineyard is kept clean of pests.
The harvest is plentiful.
The grapes are abundant.
The quality superb.

So it can be with us.
Let loose the ducks!
Read God’s Word, ponder it, and hide it in your heart.
Then let God’s Word infiltrate the vineyard of your life.

Let God’s Word destroy the pests that are ruining the fruit of your harvest.
Let God’s Word allow those things to remain that will help you to flourish.
Your vineyard is in bloom.
Let loose the ducks and see the bounty of the harvest.

To view the video of the duck parade, click the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsider/videos/1536936446613748/