Ducks Don’t Like Conflict

The majority of people are like the ducks when it comes to conflict.

Matthew 5:21-48

Reference: v.25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. (NIV Bible)

Explore: I have discovered that ducks do not like dealing with conflict! It’s not that I’m a ‘duck whisperer’ or anything, it’s something I have observed.

I live in an area with lots of lakes, therefore we have a lot of ducks near our place. I was out jogging the other morning and a gaggle of ducks had gathered near the footpath.

As I came closer to the ducks they feared my approach, and so started waddling in the opposite direction. The problem with the other direction was that it was onto the road and into the line of traffic.

While I may have scared them a little, the cars on the road could easily have taken their lives.

Application: It got me thinking about conflict. The majority of people are like the ducks when it comes to conflict. Often, however, when we run away from a small conflict we find ourselves in deeper trouble.

It can be so difficult to broach the subject of a conflict, and yet, if we don’t deal with it, it will just keep coming up and cause greater division.

While our initial reaction to run away seems like the easy option we can often be heading in the direction of greater danger.

Jesus instructs us to deal with conflict before it gets out of hand and more damage is done.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your practical instruction. May we apply it to our everyday lives. Amen.

Are you like a duck, running away from a fear into a greater danger?

conflict, ducks, fear, Matthew