Spread Your Wings and Soar

Several months ago I saw one of the ugliest baby birds I have ever seen. He spent the day hanging out on our deck. I seriously wondered if something was wrong with him. He acted like he wasn't quite right. He often leaned to one side and constantly had his beak wide open and would try and snap at passing bugs, but always missed. He looked like he was having a bad hair (feather) day because he had a tuft on top of his head that stood up at a funny angle. I felt sorry for the little guy.

At first I couldn't tell from his coloring, what type of bird he was. He was nondescript in a lot of ways, but did have a little bit of red on his tail. My son and I got bird books out from the library to see if we could determine what he was. Much to our surprise, he was a cardinal. He looked more like an ugly duckling.

Weeks passed and we would see him each day as he would come to our bird feeders. He still exhibited odd behavior, but somehow I became attached to the little guy. (At least I thought, he was a guy, but it is hard to tell for sure when the bird is young.) He lost some of his quirks and began to display the coloring of an adult male cardinal.

Each time I would catch a glimpse of him throughout the summer, I would note how much he was growing and changing. He gradually developed more red feathers, but still has kept the brown beak.

Just last evening I saw our Juve (he is no longer a baby, but more of a juvenile/adolescent). This time he was sitting in our apple tree, pecking at one of the apples. His beak slowly is getting more of an orange tint. This time I noticed that there was a female bird in the tree as well. Again tonight he was back at the same apple, and was accompanied by a female cardinal. Whenever he flew to the ground, she followed him. She also followed as he flew off to visit somewhere else.

I smile when I hear his call (and his friends) throughout the day. When I see him with the young lady I feel like the proud parent that has successfully raised their child, and now he is soaring on his own. It reminded me of 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."

I also thought how God has called me to "soar" lately. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved writing. All through my school years and newly married, I wrote extensively. When the boys entered my life, I put it to the side, figuring there wasn't time to do it. The past year or two God has renewed my passion for writing. He has called me back to working at honing my craft, and taking it to a new level. For me it has been a walk of faith - stepping out off the cliff and not knowing where God will lead me. My prayer is that I don't fall, but that I soar like the eagle, and like my little cardinal buddy.

Is there anything today that God is calling you to trust Him with so that you can soar? Why don't you talk to Him about it right now?