Now, I’m not really a birder. Isn’t that what they call die-hard bird-watchers? The ones who swat mosquitos for hours on end in the woods, staring at a hole in a tree, hoping to spot a rare avian treasure?
No, I’m not patient enough. But I do enjoy a bit of serendipitous bird-glimpsing (not nearly on the same plane as watching). And I observed something interesting recently.
Not all birds fly alike. You may have known this all along, but it was a revelation to me. Birds have different styles in transporting themselves through the air.
Some flail about, flapping their wings in a frenzied fashion, especially if heading into a headwind. Maximum effort, minimal results.
Others glide on invisible wind currents, soaring through the blue skies seemingly effortlessly. Minimum effort, beautiful results.
And then there are the breaststrokers. That’s what I call them, anyway. Their style is somewhere betwixt the other two. I watched one for a while and really identified with him. He scooped a dollop of air backwards with both wings and then mini-soared for about three seconds before repeating with another wingful of momentum. Scoop, mini soar. Scoop, mini soar. Scoop, mini soar. Just like he was doing the breaststroke in a pool of air. Medium effort, medium results.
That’s kind of my coping style much of the time too, I guess. I put forth a modicum of effort and reap mediocre results. But instead of raising myself to a higher level where I could soar through the skies on the wind beneath my wings, I stay in the blustery middle, huffing and puffing along.
And before I know it, I’m flailing and flapping about near the ground, trying to stay out of the range of windshields and large canine teeth.
But I think the Lord Almighty has something more majestic in mind for his followers: “Those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles,” (Isaiah 40:31, NLT). Yep, it appears I’m flapping when I should be gliding. Soaring. Riding on the wind currents of His will for me in the power of the strength He provides.
How about you, my friend? Are you a flapper, a breaststroker or a glider?
