Wings of Brave…

     The lady hawk circled in the bright blue sky. Wings not moving but a dance of flight floated her here and there – aloft, enjoying what she was made to do, no struggle, no purposed outcome.

I wondered how it is birds soar around the sky like that, seemingly no effort. Turns out that the bird depends on external forces called ‘thermal currents’ –  rising masses of air that form over areas where the ground warms up rapidly. When this happens, wings outstretched, a dance of complete freedom occurs.

What would it be like to acknowledge and depend on God – truly. Instead of with head knowledge, or with want to, or with should – but with surrender. To depend on the current of His Holy Spirit flowing through me, His love coursing through my veins, His security lifting me in a dance of freedom.

Too much time is spent trying to reason out things beyond our understanding, to make fit our molds things that can’t be held. The Father resides in me but is bigger than the entire universe? The creator of all bends low to comfort a questioning heart? The one who is already beyond today hears the prayer of a moment of panic? Too wonderful…

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” (Psalm 139:6 NIV)

The hawk doesn’t figure out first how it works to soar without effort, she just takes flight and when that just right draft comes up she loses herself in it. Our days will require much of us – hard times will mingle with the happy. Too many of us seek to define each and every action. But there is freedom in those moments when we feel the lightness of a load being lifted to just let go and not question. When an unexpected gift comes our way, a phone call of a friend distracts us, the beauty of creation catches our eye – soar on the moment.

We know this: “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry” (Psalm 34:15 NIV) – but we don’t live it.

To live on the wings of brave isn’t more effort on our part, it’s knowing Him and catching the updraft of the current of His love instead of ignoring it…

 

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October 17, 2014 Shadows…

     In shadows things are never as clear… We say ‘the beautiful afternoon was shadowed by the recent news of serious illness’. ‘A shadow fell over the room as she told of her addiction to prescription drugs’. ‘The shadows under her eyes told of her sleepless nights’. ‘Shadowy figures lurk in the alleys’. So many references to shadow – in the clear light of day fears aren’t as overwhelming, but when we find ourselves in the shadows our fears loom larger…

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.” (John 12:46 NIV) Yes, we will find the shadows trying to blur our circumstances. Those worry clouds will gather. When we call on the Light and ask a simple “Father??” He is so gracious to shine into our darkness – dispelling those shadows… Don’t stay in darkness…

“For God, who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) On our darkest night we can see clearly if we are looking to the Light. We may stumble, panic may grip, despair may whisper but truth is brighter – leading us out of powerlessness into His strength. Lighten my heart…

“…That you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (2Peter 2:9 NIV) Recall your sunniest day, the one where your skin warmed and the air was fresh, the one where you closed your eyes and breathed softly, the one you long to call today. His wonderful Light shines like that even when we think we are in the shadows, He is there shining…He is there casting away shadows…He is there making a way… Til someday we are where He is and all shadows are gone forever and our way is clear and His light warms and we breathe..

And we declare His praise…

October 3, 2014 Whose In Charge Here Anyways?

    Once there was a calm sea to sail across, the other side held the next adventure. All on board were chatty, except the captain, he was tired from the day’s events and fell soundly asleep in the small compartment below the stern. Suddenly calm seas grew choppy, silence fell among the crew, winds began to howl, large raindrops began to pelt. The small boat started to rock and those less seaworthy began to get squeamish, and still their captain slept… Panic set in…

Much like our lives: we sail along with the good job, or the good kids, or the good health and suddenly our boats are rocked. We set our course feeling that surely our government has the terrorist thing handled, the Ebola thing handled, the economy thing handled.

My mother, at 70, was told she had a brain aneurysm sitting on the ocular nerve. She began losing site in that eye, reading became difficult (her favorite thing to do). When I visited shortly after she found out she held my hand and told me. Fear and panic gripped me. There was no surgery, not one that wasn’t as dangerous as the aneurysm anyway. My mother calmly patted my hand and assured me. Why wasn’t she in the grip of fear?

Max Lucado said “Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control.” When the boat heaves wildly over the waves we fight like crazy to control the outcome. Jesus beckons all the while, patting our hand and trying to calm us – we are not in control – the Lord of the universe is the mighty captain. “Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” (Matthew 8:26 NIV)

In those moments of fear, harness your inner control freak, and call on the One whom even the waves obey…