Month: September 2015

THE WIND BENEATH MY WINGS

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EAGLE
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.
Isaiah 40:31

As I was having my devotional this morning, for some reason the song entitled “Wind Beneath My Wings” came to mind and I started singing it. When I got to the line, “I can fly higher than an eagle…for you are the wind beneath my wings”, I started thinking about my relationship with the Lord and how it relates to that particular line.

I pictured myself first as a baby eagle learning to fly. Sometimes my tiny wings would tire as I struggled against the elements that surrounded me. I would start to panic as I felt my strength failing and my altitude decreasing. But right in the nick of time, despite my state of chaos and lack of confidence, I felt a strong presence underneath me, supporting me in my weakness, carrying me completely as I shifted the weight of my burdened breast onto the back of the mother eagle.

What an awesome picture of our Father God! He covers us with His feathers. (Psalm 91:4) He upholds us with His Righteous Right Hand! (Isaiah 43:10) Though we fall seven times, He will lift us up again! (Proverbs 24:16) Just like that mother eagle, He watches over us even when we are not cognizant of His presence.

Then we grow and mature and strive to become eagles in our own right…strong in the face of adversity, soaring above the storms of life, resting in the strength of His love. We don’t always soar, however. Sometimes we let the storms overtake us. Sometimes we allow the highwayman of our faith to rob us of our rest and waylay our hope. That is when we need the the blessed Holy Spirit to be the “wind beneath our wings.” Jesus knew we wouldn’t always be strong. He knew that we couldn’t make it alone. That’s why He said that The Father would send us a helper in the form of the Holy Spirit. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.” (John 14:16,26 AMP)

Whether you are soaring today or whether you are still in the stages of learning to fly, the Holy Spirit is there to empower you. He will be the “wind beneath your wings.” You don’t have to struggle in your own strength, for sometimes it’s just not enough. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring a strong current of the Lord’s grace and lift you above the circumstances that are trying to make you earthbound. Relinquish the care to Him and you’ll find yourself unburdened and mounting up with wings like the eagle, strong and soaring!

THE DREADED BLAHS

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BLAHS
Why are you cast down, O my soul?
 And why are you disquieted within me?
  Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
  For the help of His countenance.
Psalm 42:5

There are certain mornings that I just awaken feeling  BLAH Small. For some reason, Monday mornings are especially notorious in that respect. I don’t even have to explain myself, because without a doubt all of you know what I’m talking about. There’s no rhyme or reason to the blahs. They just appear out of nowhere like a small, dark rain cloud in an otherwise sunny sky and they seem to have the sole purpose of putting a damper on your day. You don’t really feel bad, but you would love to just crawl back into bed with a good book or a favorite movie playing and pretend for the moment that the outside world doesn’t exist. Can you relate?

Of course it’s not a sin to feel blah. If it were, we would ALL be in trouble! But it certainly doesn’t add credence to our Christian witness. And usually everyone who sees our face knows that something is not quite right. I know you’ve heard the saying, “If you’re really a Christian, you need to notify your face!” Well, is there nothing we can do about those random nondescript feelings? (That’s why they’re called the Blahs…you can’t describe them.) Thank God, He never leaves us without hope! These are a few things that help me to overcome this sneaky culprit at its onset:

1. Remind yourself that these feelings are only going to last a short time. They are not here to stay. (Tomorrow they will probably be gone and forgotten!)

2. Don’t try to figure out why you feel this way. You’ll only get frustrated, more dismayed and filled with anxiety to boot!

3. Think about all of the things that you have to be thankful for. I know that sounds trite, but it works. Nothing chases the blues or blahs away like a thankful heart!

4. Thank the Lord for abiding with you always and ask Him to help you to maintain an attitude of peace and hope until the feelings pass.

5. Praise the Lord for the good things in your life. Praise is guaranteed to dispel despair. And before you know it, the blahs will be history!

Thank you, Father
that my life is not controlled
by what I see or feel
For I walk by faith, not by sight (OR feelings)!
(II Corinthians 5:7)

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

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HAPPINESS
SONG:  I DON’T HAVE A CARE

I’m sure you know people who always seem to be upbeat all the time. They seem to enjoy life to its fullest. Their circumstances are far from ideal, but they choose to be happy anyway. The older I get, the more I’m learning to be content and even happy with even the small things of life. When I wake up each morning, I look forward to the glorious opportunity to fellowship with my Heavenly Father over a steaming cup of coffee before getting ready for work. I used to think, “Oh no, only twenty minutes before I have to get ready!” Now I just savor every moment as I prepare for my day. I used to dread having to mow my rather sizable lawn. But now I actually enjoy the time on my lawn tractor, usually in the cool of the evening. It is an excellent opportunity to pray. Do you get the point? I didn’t change my activities, just my attitude. And it made all the difference in the world.

I read an illustration about some mischievous young boys who decided to smear stinky Limburger cheese in their grandfather’s mustache while he was sleeping. As he awakened he said, “Something in here stinks.” So he went into another room and soon repeated, “Something in here stinks, too.” Then he went out onto the front porch, sniffed and proclaimed, “The whole world stinks!” Sometimes when we think the whole world stinks, it’s just the stinking attitude that we are carrying along with us. In the same way, a good attitude can be like a lovely fragrance that lingers in the air even after we have passed through.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not something you decide one time and your attitude is forever changed. It is a choice you make each new day and maybe even several times a day. Sometimes you have to do it with dogged determination. Sometimes it comes naturally. Where do you think the saying came from…“Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” In other words, sometimes we just wake up needing an attitude adjustment! How do you think I know these things? Because I deal with them everyday, just like you. Our attitude is the ONE THING that we have absolute control over.

Rather than a pity party, wouldn’t you rather life be a continual feast? I know you’ve heard it said, “Your attitude determines you altitude.” If you want to be high on life, give yourself an attitude adjustment!

But thanks be to God, who always leads us
in triumphal procession in Christ
and through us spreads everywhere
the fragrance of the knowledge of him.
II Corinthians 2:14 NIV