Fly Above the Clouds!

Happy New Month! :)

Being in a long distance relationship, having family and friends on 2 continents, in 4 countries and  8 or 9 cities to be specific, has made me a frequent flyer. So what I am getting at is that you can feel free to blame this late post on my incredible vacation and the opportunity to attend two beautiful weddings this past month. I know my title must be super funny to most if not all of you. Duh, planes always fly above clouds, at least for the majority of the journey, right?  But, just follow along with me, I promise I will make sense at some point :)

I am notorious at booking window seats for most of my flights because I love looking at God's beautiful canvas, the Sky. I must say the best time to be flying is either right before sunset or before/after sunrise. No matter how many times I have flown though, I can’t seem to get this particular flight out of my mind. It was a super dark, fogy, just all out gloomy afternoon when we started ascending; however, the minute we broke past the caked layer of clouds there awaited the most stunning sky. A sky that was rich with rays of sunlight that couldn’t penetrate the clouds. This display of divine artwork caused yet another train of thought to start formulating in my ever – so – busy brain…

I thought of Eagles! Naturally, I did a quick search on Eagles and I found an article that listed 7 unique things about this astonishing bird. I will share few of these points with you:

1) “Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away.”

2) “Eagles love a storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm's winds to lift it higher. Once it finds the wing of the storm, the eagle uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.”

3) “No other bird can go to the height of the eagle.”

Here is the full Article! Amazing traits eh? I feel like just reading these three points gave me a deeper insight to Isaiah 40:31 “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.”

Could God be telling us to use the storms in our lives to elevate us even higher? Could He be urging us to stay focused on Him? Could He be asking us to soar above all our clouds? 

Practically speaking though, what would any of these things look like in real life? How can we apply them? Here are some things that came to mind:

1)  Stay Focused on God! I think David did a remarkable job at describing what this would look like in Psalms 103.In this chapter David insists on reminding himself to recall God’s goodness. He lists all of the great things the Lord had done for him during his present dark season. He pushes himself to stay convinced of the fact that God is always good and ever faithful! Next time you find yourself in seasons of turmoil be intentional in reciting His amazing track record. If you can’t remember a list, think of the most recent miracle in your life!

2)  Take Advantage of every storm! James says to consider it all joy when we experience trails. If you are not able to be that optimistic then consider this verse: “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:7. If you can’t find it in you to consider trails to be something of a joyous matter then take heart in the fact that your faith is so important that it's going through the next level of purification. You will be coming out of the ‘furnace’ set free from your chains and closer to the Lord! Amen to that! :)

3)  You can get to your highest height with Him! If you are anything like me you constantly forget that you are human and get frequently shocked by your limitations. You would probably also try to achieve 100 things in 30 seconds. Another thing that might annoy you is the fact that you can’t change or control everything. The more you realize, recognize, and accept you (I mean me too) aren’t God but the easier it is for you (and me) to come into terms with your (my) weaknesses. The more we lean on Him and not our own understanding, the more we submit our ways to Him, the more straight forward life becomes! Read Proverbs 3:5-6!

This message came at such a right time for me!  I have been under clouds for so long that I forgot the sun was still shinning. I must admit, I think this has been by far the longest and hardest season I have ever encountered in my Christian walk. I first started by being thankful for trails, then I started wishing it was over already, then got into a season of feeling like it was a curse. That being said however,  I am convinced that God would not allow anything into my life that would not be for my good. To be honest most days I can’t see the good yet but I choose to believe Him and His Words more than the temporary clouds.

Be encouraged! He will never leave nor forsake you, He is by your side!

I Love you. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE LOVES YOU!

Stay Blessed <3