In downtown San Antonio, Texas, a mother duck chose a second-story overhang outside a bank window as a place to lay her eggs—ten feet off the ground. Eventually the ducklings hatched.

Michael, a clerk at the bank, worried how the momma duck was going to get those babies safely onto the ground and to water. He watched as the mother duck encouraged her babies to the edge of the perch.

In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy newborn toddled to the edge and leaped into thin air, crashing onto the cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this nine more times! He dashed down the stairs to the sidewalk where the first duckling was resting dazed after the near-fatal fall. Michael stood out of sight under the awning, ready to help.

As the second one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught it with his bare hands. One by one as the babies jumped, Michael reached out just in the nick of time, until all were with their mother.

But the duck family had only made part of its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks to walk through traffic to get to the closest water, the San Antonio River. Michael corralled the babies into a box, and held it low enough for the mom keep her brood in sight as she waddled behind Michael through the busy streets. At the river the mother jumped ahead into the water, quacking loudly as Michael shepherded the babies into the river.

They never could have made it alone without lots of helping hands. And neither can we survive in life without each other. That’s why the Bible tells us to “help the weak” (1 Thessalonians 5:14), to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and to “serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13). Let’s not forget.