Hope

Soaring

Last week I heard on the radio this quip:

While all other birds seek shelter during a storm, the eagle flies above the clouds to avoid it.

It was an intriguing tidbit, but a quick Google search revealed that it was probably more of an urban legend rather than a scientific fact. Eagles do fly high – higher than a lot of other birds – but “flying above the clouds” appeared to be a mischaracterization of what eagles actually do.

It was a sad reality to me, as I thought I had a post about overcoming adversity just waiting to be written. However, as I researched more, I found out a little bit about the flying patterns of these majestic birds. While they may not fly above storms, they are quite adept at using strong winds to their advantage. As one author put it:

Eagles definitely do use the winds (and some quite strong), as well as “updrafts” coming off hills and mountains. This helps them to gain altitude and set them up for a long, soaring flight to another location,

They may not fly above the storms, but they are able to use the strength of the storm to propel them in their journey.

And perhaps, that’s why God says that those who trust in Him will “soar on wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:28-31).  He doesn’t promise that we won’t have to face the storms, but that as we seek Him and His glory, He will use trials to bring about good (Romans 8:28). He says He provides strength to those who are tired, not that the tired will not have to keep on walking. Just like you have to journey through some valleys in order to stand on the mountaintops, so the proper confidence in God can use the stormy winds of life to bring you to the place that He wants you to be, allowing you to sail higher – i.e. glorifying Him more –  than you ever would have without those storms.

We may not be able to avoid the storms. In fact, as Christians, God promises that we will experience them (John 16:33). But that doesn’t mean we can’t soar. It doesn’t mean that we won’t get to where God desires us to be. In fact, it may be the storm that brings us there.

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Growth Hope

Perspective

This is my annual birthday post. To read previous posts, you can click here.

As a child I had a toy kaleidoscope. Like all kaleidoscopes, when you looked in, you could spin the wheel and make a variety of different yet mezmerising images. However, when you looked from the outside, the colorful pieces just looked like a jumble mess at the bottom of the toy. The change in impression had nothing to do with the placement of the pieces, and everything to do with your perspective on them.

Over the last year, I’ve learned a lot about perspective. I’ve learned that my trust in God has nothing to do with my understanding of how the pieces fall, but everything to do with Who I understand Him to be. If God is just, I need not fear my enemies; If God is truth, I need not fear lies; If God is good, I need not fear my future; And if God is love, I need not fear eternity, as long as my trust and my faith are in Him. My perspective on this life changes when I consider things from the perspective of Heaven. Whatever befalls me here is incomparable to the riches of glory that await me there.

And unlike what many well-intending Christians say, I’ve come to believe that we may never understand the “why” of events on this Earth. We may not ever fully know how God uses our grief for His glory, or how the loss we’ve experienced brought about His Kingdom’s gain. From what I can tell, Scripture never promises us an understanding of the detailed plans of God. But we are promised Him. If we turn and put our confidence in Him, we are promised an eternity with the Creator of the Universe. And when we maintain that perspective, all the pieces are beautiful.

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