I too must spread my wings and fly.

 I love the rain. Windows are cracked and I can hear the wind blowing as the rain falls on my tin roof. As the wind gushes by, as the rain pours and the clouds move quickly through the sky I can't help but think of my Creator. Such a beautiful trickling sound above me. A blue bird has perched itself right outside my window on a light under cover, waiting for the rain to stop so that it can go out and find it's food that will be flourishing after this storm. The wonder of God's creation. It is in these moments of solitude where the rain is falling and the wind is blowing and no other sound can be heard that I sense God's presence so clearly. He is with me.

Today I got to spend a day resting. Walking has never really been defined as something restful to do but due to rain falling earlier in the week I needed to get one more walk in. And the rain held out for me to get a good 40 min walk in. I've done a whole lot of nothing since, except take a shower and eat. I did, however, spend some time uploading pictures to an internet website to clear up some memory on my computer and came across a document that I didn't realize I had. As I read through it, I realized that I was in one of the toughest situations I have ever been in and trusted God the most. I kept saying, "...you have to let go, you have to give this situation to God and not try in your own power to fix it". Such strength in God was present that as I read it I could hear the sorrow in my own voice as God slowly intervened and began talking. I was in so much pain that I had no other choice but to give the situation to God.

As I think back to those words (which are now discarded) and think about the storm that is brewing outside, I can't help but feel as though I am that bird. I am sitting, barely under cover, and all around me the storm is brewing. Rain is falling, wind is blowing and I look out and I'm scared. But God has equipped that bird with all that it needs to weather the storm. The bird has the ability to fly through the wind, to be carried by it in fact, and go to a place where the storm is not as strong. With such ease, the bird left it's comfort of the cover and flew out into the storm. I too must spread my wings and fly. I must trust God through the storm that's brewing even though it looks scary and impossible, He has equipped me with all I need to survive.

The “Go” of Renunciation

Lord, I will follow You wherever You go. –Luke 9:57

Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of death. (Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Sept 27)