Adventure Bound Outdoors TV Program Host
Encouragement Eph. 4:29

As any self-respecting duck hunter knows, especially in Arkansas where I live, the month of January is for hunting ducks.  Only one ingredient makes for a successful duck-hunting season:  ducks.  and for there to be lots of ducks, two things are necessary:  water and cold weather.  Cold weather drives the ducks south from their feeding grounds in the northern states and Canada, and the water, at least in Arkansas,

In recent years, I've become more fascinated with the habits of ducks.  I guess I just enjoy duck hunting so much that I want to make sure that we're doing all we can to preserve the duck-hunting experience for generations to come.  One of the characteristics of ducks that has particualarly intrigued me is the extreme protection that a mother duck offers her offspring.  The female duck is careful not to reveal the location of her nest in springtime.  She will very selfdom fly directly to her nest.  Only when she satisfies herself that the area around her nest is free of predators will she proceed to it.

Studies have shown that two to three days before the young ducks hatch, the mother duck does something very unusual:  she listens for the faint peeping inside her eggs, and she actually communicates with her ducklings inside the egg.  This ritual causes the young ducks to be familiar with the sound of their mother's voice even before they hatch.  Experiments have been conducted to determine whether or not the communication the female duck has with her eggs is all that important.  In cases where the eggs were kept isolated from the mother duck and communication was not allowed to be established, the ducklings would not respond to the mother or would require greater time and coaxing to follow her directions.

The mother's training of her young ducks continues for several months after they hatch.  Small ducks stay close to their mother as she communicates with them, constantly guiding and instructing them.  Studies have indicated that those ducks that hatch without the benefit of hearing their mother's voice and encouragement were less likely to survive the critical first year.  Life is tough, and the dangers are extreme for a young duck in a hostile environment.  That young duck needs all the help he can get, and it begins with the encouragement he receives from his mother.

The world, too can be a hostile environment, and we need all the help we can get.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that the tongue has the power of life and death.  I'm convinced that most relationships fall apart becuase of the lack of encouragement.  Marriages, relationships with our children, friendships, and even casual acquaintances are made or broken by how well we encourage each other through the words we say.  Have you ever been around people that just tear you down?  People need our words of encouragement to build them up, to help them.

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:29, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up." Rather than tearing others down by the words we speak, we ought to be building others up.  When we should be helping others, many times we're hurting them.  That's the great thing about the God who created everything.  He cares about you so much that He chose to take the ultimate iniative in communicating encouragment to you.  He sent His Son, Jesus, the Word [who] became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) Jesus is God come to communicate with us.  He is the full expression of God, just as the alphabet is the full expression of our language.  The 26 letters that we call our alphabet could express any word that we would want to say.  Jesus expresses everything that God says to us.  He is God communicating to us the love, the nuture, the guidance, and the direction that we need in this hostile environment we call the world.

The next time you are duck hunting or you just happen to see a duck fly overhead, remember that duck made it becuase its mother nurtured, cared for, and encouraged it.  The next time you look in the mirror, remember that you, too, have someone who wants to love, to nurture, to care for and encourage you.  His name is Jesus, the Word of God, and He is speaking to you.  Listen carefully so that you can learn to recognize His voice.  It will prove to be the best protection you could ever hope to have.  Besides, everyone needs encouragement, and God offers the best encouragement of all.

That's the truth....about encouragement, in God's country.

Used by permission from "Adventures in God's Country, 31 Outdoor Devotions" by Chuck McAlister