In my wanderings about lately, I've given up pushing past momentary difficulties - choosing instead to simply sit on the ground and rest where ever I happen to be when the energy and effort to take one more step escapes me.
I've come to appreciate this ground-level perspective - especially when surrounded by wildflowers in the thick pasture grass or near the cypress knees at the sloping edges of our Pollywog Creek pond. It's where you're most likely to find me these days - in the cool of morning and late afternoon.
A small badelynge of muscovy ducks spends most of every day in and around the pond. I've never see them flying in with enough time to grab a camera and focus, so capturing these large and heavy ducks' big-splash landings has thus far eluded me.
With a reputation for being a messy nuisance and a red-warty face that only a mother duck could love, there's no denying that the muscovy lacks the painted bunting's photogenic appeal.
Even so, I'm entertained by their antics as they float around the pond, waddle about on their large webbed feet, and rest and preen in the shade of the cypress trees, but their appetite for the mosquitoes and lavae that multiply in legions in our tropical south is what I appreciate the most.
But here's what I've noticed about these ugly ducklings - when sunlight falls on their backs they are beautiful - their feathers shining iridescent green and purple - and I forget about their mess and red-warty faces.
And I think about the ugly sin and mess in our lives that is hidden by who we are in Christ as the light of the gospel shines on you and me.
The Lord is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Psalm 118.27
I recently updated my Free For Bloggers Set on Flickr with new photos. No strings attached - you can link them to me, or not. Those photos are my gift to you.
{Photos - around my Pollywog Creek pond}Christian hands never clasp and He doesn't give gifts for gain...a gift can never stop being a gift - it is always meant to be given.― Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
