Soaring!

I’ve been told there are two types of believers: first, the overactive Christians who “burn out” for Jesus and then the believers who do little or nothing and are said to “rust out” for Jesus. The problem is that both of these followers are “out!” I don’t think either example is what Jesus prefers we be. I mention this as several of us are recuperating from a week of VBS! Isaiah offers us the secret to serving God tirelessly: “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) This is one dynamic metaphor: the soaring eagle! Now, that’s an image I can wrap my mind around. Soaring high above the earth, seemingly effortlessly, never shaken or startled…this raptor fearlessly surveys the landscape for opportunities to swoop in and score a kill, or more appropriately offer the Gospel to someone! (The only image I could more want to emulate is riding off to the thundering sound of Harleys!) You might well imagine my surprise when I found out that eagles soar high, not in their strength, but on updrafts. They only utilize the prevailing air currents to achieve their altitude. Furthermore, these predators are actually very vulnerable birds, easily distressed by even the slightest changes in their environment. And then there is this harsh reality: an eagle that doesn’t soar is nothing more than a sitting duck! We have much to learn from Isaiah’s eagle.