Out of the Nest & Into the Air

My wife and I were about ready to eat Sunday dinner when she called me to the kitchen, “Come quick !”   Nope, she hadn’t burned something on the stove or stumbled upon a fantastic culinary creation, she was watching a mother robin just outside with its baby, trying to coax it into it’s first flight !  If you’ve ever witnessed this spectacle, they can take a while and like our neighbor said “Keep the cats inside” while they get there.  We watched for a while as mom fed her a worm every so often and hung close, probably encouraging her to fly in “robinese” language !  A few moments later I was sitting outside on the bench in front of our home with the baby perched on it just a foot away, she wasn’t too sure about me, and she still was trying to figure out just how to use those little wings. But soon she did a Wright brothers type flight, a few seconds then back to solid ground.   Soon she’ll be soaring around like her mom !!

We’re like the baby robin in many ways. We sometimes want the safety of the nest rather than stretch our wings and take flight, we are encouraged along by a watchful Parent and nurtured and fed well by His providing hand.  We hang out with what could be dangerous situations, unbeknownst to us apart from the teachign of Scripture when we need to stay close to our watchful all wise Parent and avoid potentially harmful associations.   But when we mount up with wings as eagles (or robins) and grow into what God gave us and created us for, we can truly soar !

As I preached today from Ephesians 1:11-14 which ends Paul’s wonderful ode of joy even while sitting in a prison in Rome, he exuded confidence and rejoiced that no matter what befalls us here, IN Christ we were specially created unto the “praise of His glory” !  Why settle for hopping around when you have wings !  Use this week to really take off for the Lord.  Go witness to that coworker and invite them to church, chuck a bad habit and replace it with a good one, step up your prayer life THIS week or your Bible reading, give a little extra in that plate to further the work of God or put some “elbow grease” into some service at your church.   You were created and chosen by God to FLY !!  With His help you WILL !!!