Challenged

Do I surround myself

With those who walk

Or those who

Barely skim the surface?

If they’ve set their hearts

On reaching new heights,

Do I want

Those closest to me

To be satisfied with

Their current altitude?

Or do I want them

To fly ever higher

And challenge me

To do the same?

Do I want to be the instructor

Or the student?

In truth,

I am,

At all times.

Both.

There are those

Who will look to me

And those who

Know more,

Strive more,

Attain more.

May I encourage and teach

And

May I always be willing

To humbly learn

And climb.

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way (Psalm 25:9, NIV).

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Stricken

Stricken,

Sudden and swift

Like a thunderstorm,

Intense and fast

With lightning speed

And piercing shouts,

The echo in the void.

Struck,

Yet determined and whole

To pass through the storm.

I want to thank Heather, a fellow member of the writers’ group I belong to, for allowing me to post her poem “Stricken.”

The Best Feeling

Does bouncing up and down

Count as flying?

I think so.

I love sitting in front of my computer

And reading that I’ve been

An encouragement.

It’s the best feeling!

I’ve said it before,

But that’s what really makes me

Reach new heights.

The funny thing is

It’s not really encouragement

Unless it lifts someone higher.

And that’s beyond my control.

So

I must simply continue

To do my part.

I must reach out

And trust

By doing so,

I will encourage

Many, many more

Fellow flyers.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:6-7, NIV).

No Excuses

Knowing.

Doing.

Sometimes I wish

They were the same.

But

They’re not.

I can know

All about flight.

But if I stand

On the edge of the cliff

And refuse to jump,

It gets me nowhere.

If the sky is clear

And I refuse to see

Those who need my help,

I will soon lose altitude.

If I fly into a storm

And ignore the instruments,

I may crash into

The undetected mountain.

So

What holds me back?

Fear…

Lack of trust…

Laziness…

Doubt…

Self-centeredness…

Apathy…

False accusations.

Today,

I make no excuses.

Today,

I fly.

Anyone who loves me [Jesus] will obey my teaching (John 14:23, NIV).

Jump

Go ahead;

I’ll catch you.

I’m not sure

I want to commit.

It’s the only way.

But I don’t know

What’s ahead.

I do.

There are rocks below.

So, who said

You’ll get anywhere near

The rocks?

I know I can trust you,

But…

There are no buts.

I have questions.

You’ll have questions

For a long time.

I don’t feel like flying.

You feel like

Spinning your wheels

And getting nowhere?

Well…

No.

It’s time to fly.

I’m not enthused.

That’s OK;

That’ll come.

And…

GO!

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous (Romans 2:13, NIV).

Uncertainty

Maybe the eagle

Shouldn’t fly.

Maybe the same is true

Of the hummingbird,

The butterfly,

And the honey bee.

Foolishness?

Of course!

But I repeatedly

Ponder

If I was meant

To fly.

Maybe I’m showing off.

Maybe I’m attracting

Too much attention.

Maybe my wings

Were only meant

To teach self-control.

Oh, I know

There are no-fly zones.

Places of danger…

Apparent

And unseen.

But just because

There are places

I should not go,

Doesn’t mean

I have to fold my wings,

Afraid to venture forth.

Is it safer to stay put

When new horizons

Are calling?

I must never forget

The lessons I’ve learned.

But

I must not stay

Where I am,

Stagnant,

When there are

So many destinations

Just a few flaps away.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is (Ephesians 5:15-17, NIV).

My Tribute

Today,

I step aside.

I choose to hide

In the shadows.

Today,

I want to honour

Four amazing women.

One,

Strong and brave,

Who brought

A new little life

Into the world.

Three others,

Strong and brave,

Who assisted her.

Courage.

Wisdom.

Knowledge.

Perseverence.

Diligence.

Compassion.

Tenacity.

Commitment.

There are

Not enough adjectives

To pay tribute.

Thank you

For allowing me

To be part of it.

I can’t imagine

The wonder

Of witnessing birth

Will ever cease

To overwhelm.

Nor can I imagine

Witnessing

Those involved

And not marvelling

At the part

They play.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me” (Mark 10:14, NIV).

The Next Step

Blank computer screens

Don’t make my heart soar.

They just sit there,

Waiting for words and images.

New, pristine journals

Are almost as bad.

They taunt me,

Demanding a perfection

I am unable of providing.

And so,

I rebel.

Just type.

Just write.

Maybe something will come.

Something worth learning.

Something worth sharing.

And that’s how it is

With life.

One foot in front of the other.

Will the next step lift me?

Will I find

My heart…

My self…

Getting lighter

And taking to the skies?

Will I feel

As if I’ve stepped

Off a cliff,

Making flight a necessity?

The blank page

Cannot remain blank.

The next step

Must be taken.

Fly, my friends

And I will do the same.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you (Psalm 32:8, ESV).

Clear Skies

Excitement.

Anticipation.

Wonder.

Thankfulness.

Friends.

Amazing.

Heartwarming.

Blessings.

New heights.

Clear skies.

Gentle breezes.

Wondrous opportunities.

Today.

A new day.

A great day.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4, NIV)

Purposeful Flight

I’ve been coasting recently.

Riding the currents.

Going where the breezes

Carried me.

And that’s OK

For a while.

But now it’s time to plan.

Time to focus on the horizon.

Time to flap my wings.

Sometimes the currents

Will propel me forward.

Tailwinds are wonderful.

Sometimes,

I’ll catch a glimpse

Of something to my left or right

And pursue it.

Sometimes,

A slight breeze will push me off course.

And then there will be times

I’ll encounter a full-on headwind.

In any case,

I may lose sight of the horizon.

When I know for certain

I’m going in the right direction,

I must not let anything stop me.

As I said yesterday,

Course corrections are allowed.

There will be layovers

And destinations

I currently know nothing about.

All of that is fine.

But for now,

I will fly forward

And leave

All the What Ifs?

For another day.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV).