When the doorbell rang, no one expected what Mother found as she opened the door. In a basket on the front step was a yellow ball of fluff. It was a little baby duck — a gift from an unknown friend.
Neither Mother nor Father was very happy about this gift. They both knew that baby chicks and ducks are often mistreated when given to small children. But to Susie, their three-year-old daughter, this present was just for her. From the moment the little duck came into the house, all of Susie’s toys were forgotten for this tiny duck.
Much to the surprise of her parents, Susie was very gentle with the soft body of the duckling. And it didn’t take long for the duck to show that Susie “belonged” to him, too. Wherever she walked, he waddled along right behind her. When she would run, in his hurry to catch up he would fall over himself with loud quacking that demanded, “Wait for me!”
Susie spent hours that first day cuddling him, talking to him and showing him her toys. And sometime during that first day the baby duck got a name — Waddles!
Mother and Father did not really want to keep Waddles. From the beginning Father insisted it should go to a pet store or a farm. They decided to keep it for only one day.
It was raining the next morning. This made it easy to wait to take Waddles out to Grandmother’s farm. Every day after that, for a week, a reason came up for waiting to get rid of Waddles. Finally, it was decided that he could stay.
Now Susie had a playmate. There were no children her age nearby, so Susie and Waddles played together in the high-fenced backyard. It was amazing how a little duck could take over what at times had been a hard job for her parents — keeping track of Susie.
The two friends chased butterflies, built castles in the sandbox, played hide-and-go-seek among the shrubs and lawn furniture, or just sat in the sun “talking” to each other.
Waddles was about two years old when Susie’s baby sister, Carol, was born. Carol was brought home from the hospital and placed in her crib. Susie and Waddles were watching the new arrival when Waddles gave them all a big surprise. Except for different ways of quacking, he had never made any sounds. Now, he suddenly beat his big wings against his sides, let out a trumpeting honk, and sat down beside Carol’s bed! With that one honk, Waddles was telling the world that he was now going to take on the job of protecting the new baby. From that moment Waddle’s attention switched from Susie to Carol.
This loss of her friend was very hard for Susie. But starting kindergarten and having a new family move into the neighborhood with a little girl her age helped her.
Waddles began guarding Carol whenever she was put in the backyard. Then no one, except the family, could go in the yard without being attacked by Waddles. This included the local dogs and cats and even the mailman.
One Saturday afternoon all the neighborhood children were in the yard for games and a picnic lunch. After they left, Susie went inside to take a nap, and Carol was placed in her buggy in the backyard to take her nap. Mother went into the house, and Waddles took his usual place underneath the buggy.
Five minutes later the phone rang. A friend who lived nearby said, “I just saw a dog turn into your driveway, and it looks like a mad dog to me!” Rabies had broken out among some of the dogs in the town. Whenever a stray dog was seen in the neighborhood, everyone was sure it had rabies.
Thanking her friend, Mother hung up the phone and then thought, The back gate! She hadn’t checked it to make sure it was closed after the children left. Frightened, she hurried for the yard. But before she reached the back door, she heard, for the second time in her life, that wild, loud honk from Waddles!
Bursting through the door, Mother saw something she would never forget. Not three yards from the baby buggy was an ugly, shaggy dog with a swollen head, red, wild eyes and foaming mouth. Flying at him was Waddles, wings outspread, neck stretched out, and beak snapping and cracking like a gun! Grabbing Carol, Mother ran back into the house and called the police.
Mother couldn’t see the fight going on in the yard, but she could hear it. The blood-chilling growls and the thrashing sounds told her that the shaggy dog and Waddles were having a serious fight.
Mother knew there wasn’t anything she could do. She hoped that Waddles would realize his danger and fly up on something out of reach before it was too late. But all the time, she knew he wouldn’t. Waddles simply would not stop fighting until his enemy was driven out of the yard. This time, however, the enemy didn’t have enough sense to run, no matter how much he was beaten.
The squawks and barks gradually got quieter. Then, it was completely quiet. The police arrived, and there was a pistol shot. One of the officers came to the back door and said, “I want you to see a sight you will never see again.”
The backyard was in shambles! But in the open gateway, with a wing tip touching the fence on either side, lay Waddles. Just beyond him in the driveway lay the dog’s body.
“The dog was almost dead when I got here,” said the officer. “I don’t think the bullet was really necessary. Your duck had really torn him apart!” Then looking down at the body of Waddles he added, “He protected his own, didn’t he?”
Yes, Waddles had given up his life to protect the one he loved.
Doesn’t this story show us a little of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for each of us? He gave up His life that we might be saved and have everlasting life. The Bible says that “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)). Each of us is “without strength” when it comes to doing anything about our sins. Carol could not fight against the mad dog, and we cannot do anything about our sins. We need someone to save us. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that we were helpless and on our way to hell, and He died to save us. His love for us was so great that He suffered on the cross for the sins of everyone who will believe in Him. He wanted to rescue us from death and hell. He has done everything that is needed for us to be saved. All we have to do is believe
on Him.
Messages of God’s Love 5/28/2023