“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by life’s problems? You want to soar above them but you feel yourself being sucked under. During one such time, a chaplain’s true story gave me hope.
“A friend and I were paddling down a river. To one side, high on a cliff, sat a bald eagle, its white head feathers glistening in the sun. As we watched, it soared into the blue sky, then swooped into the water, thrusting its strong talons into a big fish.
But then, the eagle got caught in the rushing current. Up and down it went with its beak firmly in the fish. Then both fish and eagle were sucked under the water. Why doesn’t he let go of the fish, I thought why does he insist on keeping it?
We were startled by a commotion downstream. “The eagle,” I shouted “It’s come up again.”
Sure enough, the majestic bird had broken free of the fish and the deadly torrent and headed for the surrounding rocks. For a moment the bird rested in the sun preening its soggy feathers. Then it spread its enormous wings and rose above the tree tops into the sky.
“Aren’t we like that?” the chaplain asked. “At times we feel sucked down into life’s raging torrents. Is there something that’s dragging you down? Like the eagle who wouldn’t let go of the fish, are you hanging onto a weight of resentment or bitterness or unrealistic expectations of what life should be like? Release it. It’s a weight that will drag you down into despair. Let the spirit of the Risen Christ buoy you up and give you strength to rise above your circumstances.
You are not meant to be tumbling in the undertow; you are meant to soar. Because Christ lives in you, you can live triumphantly.”
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is an offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23,24).
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