The Drake Mallard’s full plumage couldn’t cover the fact its wing got clipped by a hunter’s 20 gauge shotgun shell. The Lord hard-wired all creatures, big and small, with an innate survival instinct. As for this wounded waterfowl, it had three saving graces:

Any shot at survival had to penetrate that refuge’s boundary, no matter what it took.

How about you? Does your spirit ever feel so clipped, like a mallard whose wing is broken, that your only thought is, “I just want to go home?” No matter how young or old you are, how close to where you grew up or how far, or if your childhood house still stands or even remains in the family. We all long to cross over its threshold, the front door feels comparable to a refuge’s boundary. Like a poignant moment, viewers don’t expect in American Sniper when Navy Seal hero Chris Kyle is talking to his wife Taya during the heat of a vicious firefight:

[Scene: A war-torn street in Ramadi. The air is filled with the deafening sounds of gunfire, RPG explosions, and the whir of helicopters overhead. Chris Kyle, exhausted and covered in dust, crouches behind a makeshift barricade. His rifle is propped up, eyes scanning for enemy movement. His SEAL team is pinned down, exchanging heavy fire with insurgents across the street. Amid the chaos, his satellite phone buzzes. It’s Taya, his wife. He answers, breathing heavily.]

Taya (over the phone): I can’t hear you, hello?
*[Bullets whiz past, one hitting the dirt near Chris’ boot. He ducks, pressing the phone closer to his ear, trying to make out Taya’s voice through the noise. A grenade explodes nearby, shaking the ground.]

Chris (calmly, but with resolve): I’m ready.

Taya (struggling to hear, her voice panicked): What? What’s happening?

[Chris fires a few rounds from his rifle, peeking over the barricade. His team is shouting commands, returning fire as insurgents pour out of a nearby building. Dust clouds swirl as another RPG hits a nearby wall, debris showering down on them. Chris ducks back behind cover, sweat streaming down his face. He clenches his jaw, focusing on Taya’s voice over the gunfire.]

Chris (softly, almost to himself): I’m ready… I’m ready to come home, baby.

[As the firefight intensifies, Chris holds onto the phone, his hands shaking slightly. There’s a brief moment of quiet before he reloads his weapon, determination in his eyes. The battle continues.]

In the Bible, Cities of Refuge were six designated cities in ancient Israel that provided asylum for perpetrators of unintentional manslaughter. These cities provided protection from the “avenger of blood”—usually a family member seeking retribution—until a fair trial could determine whether the killing was accidental or intentional. If found innocent of murder, the person could live safely in the city until the death of the high priest, after which they could return home.

Cities of Refuge also depicted a larger image of God.

How often do you feel mortally wounded yourself? Beaten down to dirt, Seemingly helpless to carry on? If so, here’s the good news:

An American missionary couple was returning home after 30 hard years on the field. At the time of their arrival in DC, it just so happened that the Prime Minister of England’s plane just landed as well. The the red carpet was promptly rolled out for a dignitary such as him, and heads of state lined the tarmac to greet such an honored guest. The missionary husband, all the while, was steamed because his plane remained stuck on the tarmac, which was unbearably hot. Plus, there was not so much as a familiar face or friend to pick them up. No fancy hotel to get escorted to. No glee-stricken crowd to welcome them home.

The wife had eventually heard enough.

“You know why nobody is here to welcome us back? Why there wasn’t a red carpet rolled out for us? Or why aren’t there any cheering crowds to greet us back home?”

“Why,” the husband gruffly remarked, angrily waiting for her reply.

The wife, much wiser than he, knew full well to give a long pause before offering her answer. Just long enough to let it linger.

“None of those things happened today, my dear husband, for one simple reason…..it’s because you and I are not yet home.”