Even in the Ditch

I had just dropped my daughter off at school and was turning out of the parking lot when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. There, in the drainage ditch on the side of the road, was a white egret, standing tall on his long stick-like legs in about six inches of water.

Living on the Gulf Coast, it isn’t unusual to see water birds. They don’t normally hang out on city streets, though.

I pondered why the bird was there. Was it lost? Injured? I didn’t know the circumstances of how it got there, but there it was…in a ditch.

I thought about how sometimes we are like that bird, in circumstances we would not have chosen–when times are tough and life feels hard. Yet, while we may feel alone when we are down and out, that bird served as a reminder that we are not. God is with us.

My neighborhood egret may have been lost, but something led him to find what he needed–water.  He didn’t find it in a lake or a bayou. He found it in a ditch.

Oftentimes, we spend our time trying to climb out of life’s ditches. Meanwhile, God reminds us that we don’t need to go anywhere; He is there in ALL our circumstances, not just the good ones. He is ready to provide what we need, wherever we are–yes, even in the ditch.

“Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds?”
Matthew 6:26

“I am the LORD your God. I am holding your hand,
so don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.”
Isaiah 41:13