A Tale of Two Birds

A turkey and an eagle react differently to the threat of a storm. A turkey reacts by running under the barn, hoping the storm won’t come near. On the other hand, an eagle leaves the security of its nest and spreads its wings to ride the air currents of the approaching storm, knowing they will carry it higher in the sky than it could soar on its own. Based on your reaction to the storms of life, which are you? A turkey or an eagle.?My emotions push me to be a turkey.  But my spirit wants me to be an eagle and spread my wings of faith and embrace the wind, placing my trust in Jesus alone.  And when we do that we often experience everyday miracles:

His joy balances my pain.  His power lifts my burden. His peace calms my worries. His grace is  more than adequate to cover me, and his strength is sufficient to carry me through. Soaring becomes an adventure of discovering just how faithful He can be when I am way out of my comfort zone in the storm. Soaring is an adventure of discovering by experience His answer to my pain. And I imagine a smile of infinite tenderness on His face as the angels in heaven applaud, “Bud, you’re finally getting it. Now you’re beginning to understand one of the reasons why God has allowed these ‘bad’ things to happen to you.”

And through it all I do understand. Soaring is so exhilarating.  I find that I am no longer content to live in the barnyard of familiar comfort just for the relative security that seems to be there. I want to live by faith.

A Faith that triumphantly soars is possible only when the winds of life are contrary to personal comfort. That kind of faith is His ultimate purpose in allowing us to encounter storms of suffering.

Jesus taught us this lesson of triumphant faith in the little town of Bethany when his good friend Lazarus passed away and Jesus wasn’t there to stop it. In that remarkable scene He revealed God’s answer to their question, “Why did You let this bad thing happen?” The ultimate experience of Mary, Martha and Lazarus underscores the truth that God’s purpose for our lives is so much bigger than our own.  And it reminds us of the challenge to trust His greater, ultimate purpose when bad things inevitably happen to us.

         (Adapted from “Why?:Trusting God When You Don’t Understand,” by Anne Graham Lotz.)

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