Made to Fly

I’m a bit afraid of flying—not petrified, just quite sober. I mean, there’s so much distance between you and the ground when you’re in an airplane! When I was nine, my daddy (who never got to fly in a jet but would’ve loved it) convinced me to take a ride with him and a pilot of local Florence, Oregon fame—Bill Kernowski in a little two-seater biplane he flew people around in. I was nervous flying over the ocean, but I had to admit it was beautiful. And then at my dad’s urging, Bill did some “stunts.” Oh, boy. I certainly was not sure this was a good idea. I enjoyed the beauty and how small everything looked from up there, but when the ride ended I think my comment was something to the effect of “I’m not doing that again.”

Approximately eighteen years later, though, I found myself on a jet for the first time, headed from the Willamette Valley to Burbank, California to visit my husband for the weekend. He was away most of that summer on an extensive building project—he and a friend were building a dome house for his grandparents. The actual flight was fairly negligible—it was the take-off and landing that gave me a bit of the flutters. But it was worth it to spend time with my hubby and visit some fun shops and restaurants.

The funny thing is—when I was a young girl, I dreamed of flying a lot. There was such freedom in those dreams—and they felt so real. I would soar through the air effortlessly, and I knew how to make myself go higher. And I’d always land perfectly and gently. In one dream I still recall, I kept landing on the tops of various cars in a back parking lot. The dreams were so real that sometimes I awoke wondering if I really could fly.

Looking back now, I believe God was speaking to me even then—through my dreams of flight. The message? He created me to fly. I was never meant to just walk around looking to the sky, wondering what it would feel like to spread my wings and ride the wind—I was meant to actually do it!

The enemy of my soul has always wanted me to believe I was not strong enough to fly—that I didn’t have what it took. Isaiah 40:31, in the King James, says, “but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” No wonder the devil tried so hard all my life to discourage me—he knew that if I got close to the Lord, my strength would continually be renewed. I would take flight, just like an eagle, and then there’d be no stopping me!

There have been many failed attempts and mislaid flight plans along the way. I’ve “canceled” would-be flights because of “bad weather,” poor timing, too high a cost, fear—and various other excuses. But those things the enemy has used to ground me—laughably—God has used for good! Every weapon formed against me, in the end, hasn’t prospered because my great Redeemer has shown me the bigger picture (or at least a part of it).

In the NIV, Isaiah 40:31 begins, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength [emphasis added];…” To hope means “to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.” When we hope in the Lord, we do so with expectation because we know He is a good God who has plans to prosper us—to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)! God not only has a prosperous future planned for His children—He wants us to partner with Him in hopeful expectation so that all He has planned may become the reality in our lives. And that means, we must learn to see from a higher perspective—we must learn to fly. And because He will never leave us or forsake us, He is soaring right along beside us, showing us the flight path—teaching us when to flap our wings with great determination and when to glide on the wind of the Spirit.

To fly is to break away from the things that have held you back; it is to pursue your destiny with faith and purpose, knowing that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). God is calling you higher. As he said to the prophets in Revelation 11, He is saying to you, “Come up here.” He is about to do something, if you will elevate your perspective; some things can only be seen clearly from above, from a heavenly mindset.

Ask the Lord to renew your mind and fill you with hope today—He has a future for you! He has given you giftings, callings, passions—these things were never meant to be checked luggage; you are meant to carry them, to release them, and to be strengthened in them.

‘But what if I’m afraid?’ you may ask. Fear is not your master, and it has no authority over you unless you allow it. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). You have all the help you will ever need right at your wingtips. You were made to fly. Mount up!

The Wondrous Ocean

Wave upon crashing wave; the dull yet distinctive roar they make, rolling and rolling in continual, lulling rumbles. It’s as if all the world is attuned to this singular concurrence of converging velocities. Though you set not a foot near its edges, you are immersed in it—in a soul-enrapturing waltz of tranquility.

Why is it that the ocean has such an effect on people? What is so mesmerizing, so peace-inducing about its majesty? Perhaps it is because it speaks of a time long past, the dawn of creation—when the Father made the oceans and declared His work “good.” Genesis 1:9-10—“And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.”

Maybe it’s because the sea represents life, thus the description of its animation in Genesis 1:20-21: “And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds,…”

Perhaps the spirit within each of us recognizes the significance of water in the story of our lives as God’s children—the Great Flood, resulting in God’s enduring promise, represented by the rainbow; the crossing of the Red Sea unto freedom (a type of our “new life” in Christ);“the washing with water of the word” (Ephesians 5:26); Jesus walking on the water and beckoning one not so unlike us (Peter) to do the same; and of course, the command for believers to be baptized in identification with Christ’s death and resurrection—as an act of obedience to Him.

The ocean is unarguably a mighty among mighty of all forces. One can neither tame it nor master it. It remains a reflection of the nature of its Creator—vast, undaunted, powerful—a force to be reckoned with. But at the same time, it engenders immeasurable quietude. Those who visit the ocean and are awed by it long to go back—to once again let the “aaaaah” of refreshment and away-ness wash over them.

The ocean, a wonder to see, smell, touch, hear—to taste the salty mist it emits—what could be more satisfying than a surfside sanctuary? Forget movies, malls, even ballgames—take me out to the ocean. Where I can celebrate its creator; where I can hear my Father’s voice in the bellow of its billows—where He’ll whisper sweet truths to me alone. “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me” (Psalm 42:7).

Protection: Body, Soul, and Spirit

When our son was less than two, we went on a church camping trip. We were there less than ten minutes and our oldest daughter (age 9) had already crashed and burned going down a hill on her scooter and not really thinking that she didn’t know how to stop. The next day that same daughter got a terrible sunburn, and I woke up with a full-blown yeast infection. The campground was filled with a fine, dusty variety of dirt that got simply everywhere. And the icing on the cake? Pit toilets! I wasn’t having the best time and couldn’t wait to get home.

Our last night there, Josiah sounded terrible—barky-sounding cough and somewhat labored breathing. I was worried. After we got home, I was so relieved.  I was happy for a peaceful, normal night’s sleep for everyone. But in the middle of the night my mother’s hearing kicked in—my son was struggling.

Upon going into Josiah’s room, I found him gasping for breath.  His little chest was literally caving in under his sternum with each shallow breath.  Based on our location, we quickly reasoned that we could get him to the hospital faster than the ambulance could get to our house, load him up, and then get to the hospital. We gathered up our two girls, letting them know in the gentlest yet most urgent voices we could that this was an emergency and they needed to come now.

We tried to keep our fears in check, but it was apparent to our girls that this could be a life-or-death situation for their little brother, and there were tears streaming down both their faces. I was praying, out loud, in the Spirit, the entire way.

When we got to the intake window at the ER, a nurse behind the counter near the receptionist looked at us and placed Josiah at priority status. We got in right away. During the course of our time there, our pastor, as well as an elder and his wife, came to pray for Josiah. God’s presence was strong, and I began to feel peace, and assurance that everything was going to be okay.

Upon evaluation, the ER doctor diagnosed Josiah with a severe case of croup. He received a nebulizer treatment and was soon relaxed and breathing normally. He began to point out things in the treatment room, as he was a fairly adept talker—once that started, we knew he was feeling much better.

Ever since that very scary encounter, I have recognized to a greater degree the hand of God on my son’s life. He’s had several near-death—or what could have been fatal experiences, if not for God’s protection. Some involving water, another involving falling out of a tall tree, another involving traffic. Who knows how many incidents he’s been protected from over the years—girded up by unseen angels? 

I’ve come to realize that when the Lord has big plans for someone—plans that have the potential to affect lots of people for Jesus—the enemy will often try and “take them out” early. If he can’t get at them physically, he’ll try emotional tactics like anxiety and depression. And as a final assault, he’ll attack belief systems and identity.

I pray for God’s protection of my kids—and not just physically—I pray that He protects them body, soul, and spirit. And I thank the Lord for each time He has averted disaster, helped them through a crisis, or rescued them from peril.

“I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me” (Psalm 3:5, NLT).  Truly, He is watching over us all the time. But I believe He wants us to pray—and that He commissions angels when we do. “For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:11, NLT). And of course, all of Psalm 91 is in the context of dwelling in the shelter of the Most High—recognizing and trusting Him as our protector; we can dwell there on behalf of our children—and His Spirit will cover them.

Josiah is just one example of someone who was saved by the hand of God for a purpose—and because God heard the cries of his mother, father, and sisters. He hears yours too. “But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears” (Psalm 18:6, NLT).

Let this be your motto, fellow parents: “I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me” (Psalm 120:1, NIV). And let it not stop there—also pray that “the Spirit of the Lord rest on them—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of [reverential] fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2). Protection of all that they are—so that God’s purposes in their lives will come to pass.