How many ducks in a Brazilian?

Bubba and his friend went to South America for a once-in-a-lifetime duck hunt.

They split up the first day’s hunt and compared notes when they got back to camp that evening. Bubba reported that he had seen some hunters from Ecuador and Uruguay but that he saw no ducks whatsoever.

“I saw a Brazilian,” Bubba’s friend said.

Bubba was distraught. He almost cried.

“Oh, I wish I had been with you,” he said. “How many is a Brazilian anyway?”

Numbers matter. In fact, the Bible has a book named Numbers, and it begins with God telling Moses to do a count of the people. Interestingly, God knew the exact number. After all, He is God. He knows everything. Perhaps He wanted Moses to see for himself the potential strength of the Israelites if they were to go into battle?

All of us need to take time to assess our own strength by looking at key numbers? How’s our weight? How’s our blood pressure? How much can we lift? How fast can we run?

It’s also important to assess the strength of our churches. How many people attend? Is that number rising or falling? How many men? How many women? How many children? How many people have made decisions for Christ recently?

We should look to see how the communities in which we live stack up. Is the population growing? How many children don’t have enough to eat? How many people in our communities attend church? How many don’t?

We need to be aware of these numbers so that we, as people of faith, understand the magnitude of the problems and can develop strategies to help. Don’t try to explain away numbers with some faulty logic. It’s not simply the day and time we’re living in. If we get out of breath by walking a short distance, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. If our churches are weak and growing weaker, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. If our communities are shrinking, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed. If children are going hungry, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

Addressing these problems isn’t easy, but it is doable with God’s help. The Bible holds the prescription: Pray for the Lord’s direction, then get to work.

“Let us not be weary in well-doing: for, in due season, we shall reap if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).

Let’s get busy right where we are.

A friend of mine texted a photo the other day of a begonia in full bloom growing out of a crack in the sidewalk. That little begonia was blooming where it was planted, though it was far from an ideal location. We should do the same. Wherever God has planted us, we should be blooming for Him.

I hope you’re doing that, and I hope you see a Brazilian people impacted as a result.

———