A Safe Place to Land

Our front porch is a great place for birds to hang out, but when I open the door, and they fly inside, we have a problem! Just like you or I, when we find ourselves in a place we don’t want to be, the birds have a dilemma; suddenly, they feel trapped, and there seems to be no safe place to land.

The other night, we opened the door, and two birds flew into the house. One headed upstairs, and the other flew into our living room. Our downstairs visitor was easy enough to encourage back outdoors. We just opened the french doors, and out he flew. The upstairs bird was another story! He hid under the bed and would not come out.

We closed the bedroom door and let him rest until the morning. Then, once daylight filled the room with sunshine, we opened the window. Our feathered friend was free once more.

We all feel like that sometimes…like we are ‘flying about’, unsure of our next move. We are uncertain as to which ‘landing place’ would be the best for us. There are so many choices; navigating our course can be problematic to be sure.

I think of this little bird, settling himself down for the night under the bed. It was a place to be calm in this sudden storm he found himself in. After all, just moments before he was snug in the wreath on my front door, a companion at his side.

And sure enough, the long night gave way to morning. The house was quiet. The world was still. The little bird gathered his courage; lo and behold, there was an open window, and all he had to do was fly back out. The outside world was waiting for him, full of his feathered friends, and wide-open space.

We all have those moments when we ‘flutter about’, retrace our steps, start over again with a new perspective. It is okay to give ourselves a bit of room so we can make the next big decision. And who knows what could happen? God may open a window for us when we thought everything was locked up tight.

And oh, the exhilaration of feeling our ‘wings’ take flight, the vast, blue sky just waiting for us to soar like eagles. It is okay to hunker down and wait until the morning before you set out. Dreams need time to grow, and our ‘vision’ may change when we sleep, and then wake, and only then, begin again.

The mystery that is our lives unfolds in starts and stops. There may be a lull when you least expect it. There may be a storm you never saw coming. We do know this: God knows our every storm and He is there ahead of us. Like the precious little bird who flew into the unknown quarters of my house, we can ‘fly’ into each brand-new day with confidence. We can trust our ‘wings’ because there is One who guides our journey; He understands the ‘flutter’ of our hearts, and knows every beat.

Isaiah 40: 31: “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.”