Updraft

Isaiah 40:31 -- "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint."

My eyes open in the dark and I hear the rain. Big fat drops of water hitting the roof and blowing in on the glass of the windows.  The chimney echos with the torrent and I think of the birds outside. Where do they go when there blows up a storm?

Eagles seem to sense when a storm is coming. They seem to smell them out. When a doozie approaches, the magnificent bird will fly head first into the winds and catch the updraft, riding it all the way to the top, where the winds hit the Troposphere and peter out. They can hurdle the winds and the torrential rains until it's calm enough to return to the nest.

It would be great if we could do that. We could predict a life storm, see it coming and jump over it like children jump a wave breaking onto the beach or a runner jumps a hurdle during a race. We could hide out until the winds calmed and the rains stopped - popping our heads back out when the rainbow stretches across the sky and the sun blinks away all the chaos.

But there are also moments - storms - that the Eagle will face. He'll hunker down, head tucked low and ride it out. It's amazing that they know when to bunker and when to flee. Oh to be an Eagle.

In Isaiah, God tells us that we can find new strength, we can soar high above our storms like eagles. In the same verse, it says there are also moments when we run or walk.  Moments when we don't skip the storm, high in the clouds and avoid the winds, the heartache, the stress, or the frustration. Moments when our trust in God will allow us not to grow faint, but that there are moments we need to hike head first into our storms and allow God to navigate us through. I love the way God wants us to need him.

And then? ... When the tumult is over - when the birds sing again and the air is calm and clean - the Eagle returns to flight. It doesn't remain in the Troposphere or stay flattened out in the nest with it's head bowed low.  It lives. Not in fear of the next storm, never coming out to enjoy the sun light. It lives and enjoys the peace.

Those who trust in God will find new strength.

I won't hide from my life. Avoiding certain situations or interactions because I know there will be other storms. Down here in Florida - we are good at preparing for the next hurricane. But when the winds die down, the shutters come off the windows and we set our potted plants back out in the light. We don our swim suits and hit the surf and maybe pick up a little debris. We don't keep the shutters on all year. We don't avoid the sunny days because we fear the next hurricane.

This is what God wants of us.  To totally trust in Him. To cling to Him when the storms come and shine for Him when we come through the other side.