The Trouble With Ducks

We are fortunate to live a half-mile from a riparian preserve. Every winter, migrating birds come to visit to enjoy the weather. Some of them are quite exotic, and it makes the reserve an extra-interesting habitat during this time of year.

However…it seems that some of the ducks that come to town don’t want to mingle with the masses. Instead, they like a more private area to hang out. Apparenly, my backyard fits the bill. Almost every day there are two or three ducks swimming in the pol, or hanging out on the deck.

Sure, they are cute and it was fun to see them. Was. Now it is a matter of scaring them away as often as I can, but they can be stubborn. I usually resort to waving my arms and chasing them away.

Why would I chase away these cute duckies? At first I didn’t. I thought it was kinda fun to have them enjoying the pool. That was until I realized that ducks poop A LOT. It turns out that duck poop is not only gross, but it also messes up the chemical balance of the water. The more they poop, the more organic matter changes the pH of the water and makes it harder to keep the levels right. It adds to the work of maintaining the pool, even leading to draining the entire pool and refilling it with clean water. But mostly, it is just gross when they foul the water. (hehe)

As I was sitting on the patio (wishing I had a shotgun and a good recipe), I contemplated how something seemly harmless can contaminate so readily. It occurred to me that there is a message in there somewhere.

Our lives and our homes are vulnerable to contamination as well. Our spiritual balance can be thrown off by something that – to all outer appearences – can seem harmless, or even enjoyable. Often, we don’t make the connection as the damage is happening in slow, steady increments.

Alma taught his son Helaman, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass…” (Alma 37:6)

We usually look to this scripture and the similar ones found in the Doctrine & Covenants as a reminder that small things can lead to great, and wonderful things. Less discussed is this simple truth: It works just as well in the other direction.

“By small and simple things, great calamities are brought to pass.”  (Brad McBride)

We are all familiar with Alma’s teaching about planting a seed and helping it to grow. (Alma 32) What I never hear mentioned is the same process of growing a seed into a plant is the same process for growing a seed into a big weed – but growing a weed is usually a lot easier.

I have found that I can get sucked into patterns and habits that can “throw off my balance” for both my spirituality and my home – even as I am trying to keep things together.

So many poopy things can get in our lives and pollute our spirits: Media, social media, politics, doubt, fear, envy, pride, anger, covetousness, etc. (And so many more). Those things can be introduce themselves into our hearts a little bit at a time. Sometimes we don’t percieve them until we have a significant problem.

That spiritual contaminaton can spread and lead us down a path of doubt, apathy, contention and even apostasy.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland compared it to the process of a tree being rotted by a fungus:

“When this fungus attacks, the effects are not seen for some years. However, the fungus gradually rots the roots of those beautiful trees, and they begin to die. The leaves turn yellow and fall. Then the trunk and branches dry up, and the trees must be cut down.

Like the fungus that enters these trees, doubts can invade our thoughts. If we let them grow, over time they can affect our roots and rot our foundation of faith until we too may be cut down.” (link)

Elder M. Russell Ballard touched on this issue once as he compared these small things as “termites.”

“A series of seemingly small but incorrect choices can become those little soul-destroying termites that eat away at the foundations of our testimony until, before we are aware, we may be brought near to spiritual and moral destruction.” (link)

It makes sense as to why the focus is constantly turned to such “small” things as sacrament, church attendance, prayer, scripture study, etc. Those small, good things fight off the small, bad things that can gradually lead to spiritual contamination.

But…it isnt enough to try and clear the contamination – we have to chase the culprits away that help foster the contamination.

For example, the idea that reading the scriptures for a half-hour every day will offset watching sex, profanity and violence on TV for a couple hours each night is delusional. Thinking that regular temple attendance will somehow offset carrying a grudge or speaking evil of others is a fool’s errand.

We need to limit the flow of the negative AND focus on filling our lives with the positive to keep our spirituality in balance, and our hearts free from contamination. It is a lifelong battle, guaranteed. It’s a challenge we can’t duck. (Boo! I know, I know. I shouldn’t have gone there.) 🙂