Have you ever been to a park and seen lots of different ducks swimming around? We can tell ducks apart by the way they look. But there is another way ornithologists identify ducks. They divide them into two groups called dabblers and divers.

The Dabblers – Have you seen the ducks along the edges of the ponds that stick their butts up in air? It’s a real funny site. What they are doing is called dabbling. They are dipping their head into the water and searching the banks for aquatic plants and insects to eat, but they won’t go very deep. The common green-headed Mallard ducks fit into this category of dabblers.

The Divers – The other group, the divers, they swim out to the middle of the pond and SPLASH!!!… they disappear, diving down to the bottom of the pond. They swim deep for those delicious fish and crayfish! The neat looking Hooded Merganser is part of the diving group.

When it comes to living for Jesus as a Christian, we can be either dabblers or divers. The dabbling Christian goes to church because his parents make him. He stays along the edges, not helping in church, and never really gets involved or excited. But the diving Christian is one that is excited to live for Jesus, to pray, to give, to get involved, to read his Bible, and to tell his friends about Jesus.

If you are only dabbling on the edges in your church, row your boat out to the middle of the pond and dive in. I can tell you for sure, the water is great! That’s the difference between dabblers and divers! Be a diver, not a dabbler when it comes to God!

To Dabble – verb – 1:  to paddle, splash, or play in or as if in water; to reach with the bill to the bottom of shallow water in order to obtain food; 2: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently

Ornithologist –  a scientist that studies the branch of zoology that concerns birds.

Hi kids, I’m wildlife photographer and nature writer William Wise. I gave my life to Jesus while studying wildlife biology in college and soon fell in love with the Creator and His wonderful universe and creatures. My favorite animals are birds, coyotes, alligators and snakes! Each month I teach lessons from the Bible using nature and wildlife to the “creation kids” in my Creation Speaks Sunday School. — “What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.” Psalms 104, The Message.