Delayed Departure

I was sitting in an airport

A million years ago…

(It was probably more like thirty,

But you get the idea.)

Anyhoo,

I was waiting to board a flight home.

I had been visiting

My brother and his family

In British Columbia.

While sitting there,

I heard the announcement.

Our departure would be delayed

For approximately an hour

Because they had to

Replace an engine.

Oh, goody!

I was a teenager,

Flying by myself.

Yikes!

I guess it was

Better to find out it

Needed replacing

While the plane was

On the ground.

Engines.

Wings.

Etc.

They’re all important.

We want them to work.

We don’t want to even consider

The possibility that they won’t.

Consider the bird

With the broken wing.

How awful it must be

For a bird to be earthbound.

Birds were meant

For the skies.

Yet,

Unless its wing is bound

And it remains grounded

Until the wing heals,

The bird won’t fly again.

Its departure will be

Forever delayed.

And then

There’s me.

I want to spread my wings

And soar.

But I find myself

Needed

On Terra Firma.

Sometimes

The greatest privilege

Is to tend

The wounded,

The hurting.

With a hug,

I can apply the splint.

But

Only with prayer

Can I make

The most important difference of all.

I can tend the wound

But I can’t

Heal it.

So,

To the Healer

I pray,

“Please fix what’s broken.”

And He will.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3, ESV).

Say What?

It’s difficult to explain

To some people

The life-changing events that occur

When I fly.

Say what?

You met on facebook?

You met in person at her wedding?

And now she’s invited you

To her home birth?

That’s just weird.

OK,

I’ll admit

It is a tad unusual.

But that’s what happens

When I fly.

I see things from

A new perspective.

I see things

I would have missed completely

If I was still earthbound.

It leaves my head spinning

And my heart racing.

I can’t contain

My thankfulness.

For friendships

That will last

Throughout eternity,

For innumerable opportunities,

For everything I experience

Because

I fly.

Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150, ESV)

Flying Against the Current

It isn’t always

Prudent

To ride the current.

There are days

That current

Carries me exactly

Where I’m supposed to be.

The air is clear,

As is my perspective.

There are other days

I feel as if the current

Is carrying me along

And I’m uncertain

If I like the direction

I’m headed.

Sometimes

I’m carried to

Wonderful new adventures.

And

That’s amazing!

There are other times

When the current

Becomes

A powerful wind.

At first,

It merely breaks off

Small branches

And

Gets dust in my eyes.

“This isn’t so bad.”

And I continue on.

Before I know it,

The wind picks up.

Little by little,

It becomes

Increasingly destructive.

This particular wind

Will not dissipate on

Its own.

It will carry me

Where I have no business going.

It will become

A devastating hurricane.

Long before that,

I must make a difficult decision.

I must turn into the wind

And fly for all I’m worth.

At those times,

I must fly against the current.

Today

May I know

When to drift along

And when

To fly,

Really fly.

…let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:7-9, ESV).

Flying or Floating

Some days

I feel like a very active participant

In this whole business of flying.

Not today.

There are several things

That beckon.

Numerous items on my To Do list

That remain undone.

But

Instead of flying,

I feel like I’m plodding along…

Even in my thinking.

Usually I share

What is uppermost

In my thoughts.

Today

They are somewhat jumbled.

There’s nothing in particular

To latch onto.

Instead of flying,

I feel more like I’m floating.

So I guess

I’ll ride the currents today,

Seeking to accomplish

What I should.

I will enjoy the peace

That comes from trusting

The Controller of the Currents.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).

A Higher Perspective

I’ve learned some of

The most important lessons

From flying

In the “wrong” direction.

While that would not be

My first choice,

It’s true nonetheless.

When I wonder

If my adult children

Are flying the right way

And

If I could have influenced

Their decisions

If I’d made different choices

Over the years,

I realize three things.

I can’t change the past.

I shouldn’t use

That fact

To justify unwise personal choices

Today.

And

What may seem wrong to me,

May actually lead

To the right destination.

Again, I’m reminded

I have only

An extremely limited perspective,

No matter how high I soar.

As my Three

Take wing,

I pray I will see things

From a Higher Perspective

And speak only words

That will encourage them

To seek

The One whose sight

Is 100 percent unlimited.

The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:3-6, ESV).

The Benefit of Heavy Wings

Heal the wounds

But

Leave the scars.

These lyrics from

Yesterday’s special music

Are lovely.

But

I don’t always recognize

How applicable

Something is

Until I’m in

A different place.

This morning

My wings were heavy,

My enthusiasm lacking,

My motivation…

Zilch.

And then

I got to thinking.

Could an eagle soar

With hummingbird wings?

Bizarre image,

Isn’t it?

What lifts

That magnificent bird

To lofty heights?

Relatively heavy wings.

(Compared to those

Of a hummingbird at least.)

So

Today

I will look at that which could

Weigh me down

As the very thing

That will raise me up.

I will soar

Healed yet scarred,

Embracing

The benefit of heavy wings.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4, ESV) (emphasis mine).

Dangerous Skies

Last night I dreamed

I was teaching those

Far from home

To fly.

It wasn’t like it is here,

The odd funny look,

Even an occasional verbal debate.

No,

In my dream,

The risks were far greater.

My safety.

My life.

And then

I awoke.

I’ll admit I’m glad

I fly where I do.

But my dream

Accomplished at least

One thing.

I have a renewed appreciation

For those who fly

In dangerous skies.

For those who know

There are snares

At every turn

And yet refuse

To return

To safer skies.

Thank you for the example

You set.

Thank you for the challenges

You willingly face.

Thank you that you value

Others

More than your own comfort

And safety.

Thank you for listening

To the One

Who calls us all

To fly,

Who call us all

To teach others

To do the same.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it (Luke 9:23-24, ESV).

Updraft

Sometimes I fly along

At the same altitude,

Observing the same sights

And whoosh!

I hit an updraft.

Without effort,

I’m soaring even higher.

Wow!

What was that?

It’s amazing!

Although, I’ve been expecting

Today’s updraft,

It’s wondrous, nonetheless.

She has arrived,

My newest great niece.

Welcome to the world,

Adysin.

Auntie loves you,

As she does

Your mommy,

Your daddy,

And your big sister.

I commit to do my part,

When the time comes,

To help you

Learn to  fly.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14, ESV).

Choreographed Dance

Last night

I was thinking of a different flyer,

Not birds

Or balloons

Or butterflies,

But honey bees.

They constantly search for

New food sources.

They don’t search for themselves

Alone.

They search on behalf of

Their entire community.

When they are successful,

They don’t hoard

The resources

Or

The knowledge.

Through their choreographed dance,

They share the information

With the hive.

Sometimes

Reward is nearby.

Sometimes

Farther away.

In either case,

A dedicated individual,

Has fulfilled

Its responsibility.

May I do so today,

Never keeping

My greatest discoveries

To myself.

As others watch me fly,

As they watch me “dance”,

May I point them to

The Supplier of all their needs.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33, ESV).

An Unusual Flock

I find it amazing

Who I meet

As I soar.

If I take the time to

Look around

And take a good look

At my fellow flyers,

I will be awestruck

At who shares

The skies…

And

At who doesn’t.

We really are

An Unusual Flock.

Sadly,

Like everyone else,

I judge.

I may not use the criteria

Others use,

But

I won’t lie and say

I’m never surprised.

Thankfully,

I’ve learned,

For the most part,

To thrill

When I see another

Soaring

High above

That which keeps

So many ensnared.

Sadly,

There are others

Who aren’t even aware

Of those snares,

Those I thought

Had it all

Figured out.

As I soar

And rejoice,

May I reach out

To those who don’t.

This post was inspired by Michael Bull Roberts, a fellow member of this “unusual flock.”

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10, ESV).