Soaring

The other day I drove up to my house and opened the door to my van. Next to our driveway is a pine tree with many, many limbs at the bottom. To look through the bottom of the branches, one sees a blackness because of the criss-crossing of all the branches. A blackbird was sitting on one of the lower branches and my opening the door scared him. He flew toward the middle of the tree thinking there was safety. What happened next was amazing to me.
He couldn't get away from me. He was flying right into the tangled mesh of branches and he couldn't get his wings working properly. Instead, he literally bounced from limb to limb wacking his wings at every turn. It sounded painful and it was almost humorous to watch this little bird trying to get away from the big guy.
Birds aren't meant to fly among lower branches. Up to higher branches, maybe and into the top part of the tree. But not at the bottom where spreading wings is a virtual impossibility. Seems to be a lesson here. We humans are not made for the lower branches of life. Satan tries to tell us to fly into the trees and down low at the bottom where we can't spread our wings. We were made to soar. But so many times we relegate ourselves to the bottom limbs and when danger comes, we flop--battering into the very branches that could be safety for us if we would just soar and take our place on the perch of the highest branch. Isaiah said, "...but 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) Jesus said that He came so that we might have life. Life to the fullest. Let's soar today. JW