Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash
I hosted a podcast called Health Matters where I interviewed leading health experts. Jennifer Waddle is a writer, speaker and musician for Women’s Ministry. Her passion is to encourage women everywhere — in faith and in life. You can learn more about Jennifer on her website.
What does it mean to have all your ducks in a row?
“Well, first, let me be very biased about one thing: I don’t have all my ducks in a row. In fact, I am very far from it. But you know, I really want to have everything in order, especially under the divine command.
“I read an article, a very interesting article, about the life of ducks. I read that whenever a duckling hatches, whichever creature it sees first becomes its footprint. And this is the creature he will follow, sometimes over his mother.
“So it made me think that when I met the Lord Jesus as my Savior, he became my divine imprint, my first love, the one I want to follow in life. Prioritize your life and get all your ducks in a row following God’s footprint.
How can women find order in their lives when they are pulled in all kinds of different directions?
“You know it’s very difficult, it’s difficult for everyone. If you were to list all the roles you play in your life, like wife and mom and grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor, etc., this list can be very long and we can feel really overwhelmed.
“I think a lot of us go through life with our priorities out of line. So I really want to encourage women to go back to basics and go back to starting their day with God, His Word and just listening to Him to see what He would have for their lives that day. It’s an everyday thing.
Why is it so important to start the day with God?
“I have a lot of friends, people I know, who have the best Bible study time at night and that’s fantastic, great, and I think everyone should continue that.
“However, if we could just set aside these early moments of the day to open the Word, even to the Psalms. This is my favorite place to go when I’m not sure what to read and just pick it up and be silent before God.
“And maybe even laying our to-do list before Him and waiting to see what He might tell us to change on that to-do list or what He might prompt our hearts to do that day. This may be different than what we thought we were going to do. This is the importance of starting our day with God, even if it is only for a few minutes.
Is it possible to have all our ducks in a row and not live under God’s footprint?
“You know I really believe that this is possible and what I’ve found in my life is that when I struggle in my own flesh and in my own strength things can look pretty good on the outside, but, boy, I tell you, usually a big chaos inside.
“Because I’ve lost focus and been distracted from what’s really important in life. And often it is our relationships, not only with God but with other people that get messed up when we are too settled with things that people see on the outside.
“I just decided it’s more important for me to be the girl God made me to be even when no one is looking. I think this is very important to have all our ducks in a row.
“And I want to say, again, that I don’t have all my ducks in a row all the time, however, there is so much grace that God gives in that, especially when we seek to live our lives according to His will and not ours.” .
Since speaking with Jennifer, I have taken the time to start each day by reading my Bible. I read a page while drinking my coffee before leaving for work.
Although the podcast is no longer available, if you would like a copy of the full transcript of the interview, please email me
This was an excerpt from the Health Matters Podcast, believing that prayer and Bible study are to the spirit what exercise and healthy eating are to the body.
Blessings on your journey to health.
