How to Fly

 

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

     "And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field grow.  They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith?  So do not worry saying, `What shall we eat or drink?`  or `What shall we wear?`  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.     Matthew 6:25-34(NIV)

 

My wife tends children and I like to make them laugh.  One day I asked them if they wanted to see me fly.  I jumped up in the air flapping my hands close to my side.  The children laughed.  One little boy looked at a little girl that was there and said, "He can't really fly, but he thinks he can."  Is that true for us as Christians?  We say we can fly above our problems, but in reality we cannot.  It is easy for us to be burdened by life's problems.  We hear scary stuff in the news such as:  bird flu, killer mosquitoes and cancer that seem to be everywhere.  With God's help I believe that we can fly so far above our worries and fears that they become tiny specks on the ground.  I believe that if we follow the correct three steps that we can learn to fly.

 

The first way to fly is to Relax

 

     Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God will transcend all understanding; will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

 

     Everyday that we watch the news we can see a new situation that would force us to live in fear.  Worry seems to creep its way into our homes and mind.  The future is too unpredictable.  It scares us to know that we are not in control.  Worry only seems natural, but I say there is a better way.  We need to remember Jesus.  He wants to take those burdens, so you can enjoy life.  Do not live your life holding your breath.  Exhale.  Christ has come to give you life and it more abundantly; all we need to do is reach out and grab it.

     Small things in life preoccupy us.  I remember buying a new car and feeling proud.  I enjoyed that shiny piece of metal.  One day when washing it, I notice small dings, dents and scratches everywhere.  That is a lot like life; we become overwhelmed by dings, dents and scratches.  Let all that stuff go and make fun a priority.  Fun should be the top of your to-do list.  Have you ever worked with a grumpy person?  Six or eight hours can seem like a life sentence.  Try to make your workplace enjoyable; it makes life a lot more enjoyable and time not so long.  Being negative can ruin many opportunities and blessings of life.

     I made up a story that makes this idea a little clearer:  A large church had a Christmas concert every year.  It became very popular in the city and the church made their pageant more elaborate.  The church added more lights and singers to make the concert more exciting.  One year a famous music critic heard about the concert.  He asked the pastor of the church if he could attend.  The church was delighted.  Opening night the music critic came and the ushers escorted him to the pew in the front row.  The concert started and everything was perfect, the place was packed.  Time came for the lead soloist came to the stage.  The young woman looked nervous.  She looked at the crowd and then the music critic.  She missed her cue, her first note cracked and there were gaps of silence.  The young lady's fears overwhelmed her and her voice cracked several more times.  At the end of the concert, hundreds of people came to the altar to receive Christ.  The music critic was furious.  An hour after the concert was over, the music critic stormed open the pastor's office door, "That was the worst garbage I have ever heard.  You should have had a better lead soloist."  The pastor looked up from a large stack of books on his desk, "Hundreds of people came to Christ.  Yet all you can see is a few sour notes.  All of heaven rejoiced and you were left miserable.  You missed the point of the whole evening."

     Let us not miss the point of what God want to accomplish because of a sour attitude.

 

 

The second way to fly is to Flap Your Wings

 

     The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming in the streets".  Proverbs 26:13(NIV)

 

     We are required to work hard.  Everyone wants things that are fast and do not require too much work.  We throw away computers because they are too slow.  We want things super fast and easy.  Life is hard and everything does not work out according to our plans.  It is easy for us to make up excuses about life and not do anything like the sluggard in Proverbs 26:13.  The Christian life has many disciplines that require us to work.  Some of them are:  scriptue reading, memorization and prayer.  We become stronger through work.  Imagine running a race like the Boston Marathon and not moving your feet.  You will never win, or even finish if you do not move your feet.

     Sometimes, we do not run because of hurt.  When we remember the church, all we can remember is hurt.  This leaves us broken, bruised and bleeding in a corner.  It is easy to live in a shadowy corner for years, hoping that the pain will heal itself.  It will not.  In order to truly be alive you must come out of the corner.  Christ is reaching his hand out to you.  He wants to take you out of the dark place.  I cannot guarantee that you will not get hurt again.  I will guarantee that Jesus will never let go of you.  He wants you to dust yourself off and get back in the race.

     Like a writer or a singer, we all need something to inspire us, to keep us moving.  Something significant that will force us to reach for something greater than ourselves.  In the Christian life it is the Holy Spirit that motivates us to become closer to God.  He gives us the power to move ahead even though it is hard.  It is like being put into the ring with a prize heavy weight boxer.  We are scared...throw a few punches,  then get knocked down to the mat.  We want out.  Christ is there with us saying, "You can take him!"  With Christ's encouragement, you somehow win the match.  With the power of the Holy Spirit you can win great victories.

     All of us have special gifts and abilities.  God has given out great gifts some people are:  peacemakers, great in hospitality, sensitive to hurt, great insights and preaching.  We need to let these gifts out of the cage and use them.  Together we can build an amazing church.

 

The third way to fly is to Soar

 

     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.  Isaiah 40:31(NIV)

 

     We all would like to soar like a kite.  We can soar high until we almost disappear.  All those things that caused us stress would be laughable now.  Jesus died on the cross so that you could be free.  He wants you to experience the excitement of wind underneath your wings.  Do you want to soar?  Spread your wings out as far as you can.  He will carry you, higher than you can imagine.  With the Holy Spirit you can soar and it requires no effort.  You will not become tired after a day of flying. 

     At home I have an old house cat.  She likes to lie on a mat in front of the patio doors when the sun comes in.  She will lie there for hours just soaking up the sunshine.  When we are in a church service where we can feel the Holy Spirit, we need to soak it all in.  When Monday comes, it is easy to have that good feeling kicked out of us.  Remember the Holy Spirit is still there even if we do not have that special feeling.

     I read this on a bumper sticker, "It is hard to fly with the eagles, when you work with the turkeys."

     I guess that is true, but with God on your side you can fly anywhere.

 

 

Conclusion

     I used to live in a basement apartment.  It made my wife and daughter very sick.  My daughter, Emily was put in the hospital with breathing problems and my wife, Kim had to have the VON come to the house.  We needed to move.  Kim heard of a duplex that was coming on the market.  She said that we should buy it.  I was worried about how we could afford this home.  Anyway, the bank gave the okay and we moved in.  If it had not been for Kim, I never would have taken the chance.  We need to take a leap of faith.  God wants to take you out of the basement.