Soaring Like Eagles

My eyes follow the graceful glide of an eagle above my lakeside home. With powerful wings that span several feet, these birds can soar on air currents for long periods of time. Frantic flapping is not necessary to keep them aloft. They rest on the wind.

I wish to be like this in my personal life. Instead, I flap my wings harder and harder, anxiously contemplating every obstacle that could appear on the horizon. I’m afraid that if I don’t keep flapping, I’ll crash and burn. I wonder if I will have enough wisdom, physical or spiritual stamina, or funds to handle each situation. Planning ahead is good, but not when it leads to worry. My perfectionist tendencies only increase the stress I feel.

Yet God’s word assures us that those who hope in the Lord will experience what it’s like to soar on wings like eagles (see Isa. 40:31). Even when we feel like we are free-falling, we can trust that “God is [our] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27, NIV).