Struggling Ducks

 

As I walked along through the neighborhood, I came across this really, really ugly duck. At first I thought it was part of just one more Halloween display. But then it started walking away, and I realized that this was no inflatable yard decoration. This was just what it appeared to be; an ugly duck.

My mind immediately took me back to the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. You know the story, I hope. I loved it as a child. The ugly little duckling does not look like the others in the group. They do not fit in. They feel awkward and alone. Little did they know that as time went by, this ugly duckling would grow into a beautiful, magnificent swan.

That story has endured since 1843 because it is a well-written tale. It has been adapted and retold in countless ways across the years. But the real reason it endures is that it speaks to that part in us that feels ugly and awkward. It speaks to that part in us that feels we do not fit in, that we aren’t like everyone else.

Some seem to outgrow such feelings to a large degree. Some struggle with those feelings about themselves across long lifetimes. Perhaps all of us struggle to some degree to feel lovable and to feel loved.

The story of Jesus life and ministry is the story of how each of us belong, how each of us are loved. Jesus touched the leper. Jesus included the ostracized. Jesus welcomed those who were judged by others as unfit. Jesus treated both rich and poor the same. Jesus stood against the idea that some were not worthy of respect and dignity. Why? Because God loves us all. And because, in our own way, we are all uniquely beautiful.

No matter how we feel about ourselves, no matter what others have told us, we are all on our way to becoming. We can help each other along the journey by looking at each other with eyes that see the whole person, both who we are and who we are becoming. Love seems to help us struggling ducklings change into our swan. It happens all the time. And I am not sure which is better, becoming who I was meant to be or helping someone else find their way. Maybe those two always go together anyway. Perhaps they are one.

Peace.