The wind had been ferocious throughout the night. It came roaring over our rolling hills for hours. Morning brought a new day and dry ground. All clouds had blown away revealing unusually clear skies.

The trees between our barn and lake appeared to be stretching their arms upward like worshippers reaching out to the crystalline sky overhead. It is rare for us to have blue skies here. This was such a pleasant and refreshing change that it caused my heart to rise in adoration as well.

After feeding Pop-Eye, the one-eyed barn cat and our four horses, I was ready to head back to the house to feed my precious hubby his breakfast. As I was exiting the barn a large dark shadow crossed right before my steps. It stopped me dead in my tracks and took my breath away, as it always does. There, soaring right overhead, was a majestic bald eagle.

I leaned over the pasture gate and stared over the tree tops that stood between the lake and I. There were at least six of the awe-inspiring raptors that I could see from here. I have been known (I confess) to loose all track of time while I admire the poetry in motion of an eagle in flight.

It never ceases to amaze me how effortless their flight appears, even when the wind is beating as brutally as it was this morning. They seem to just hang silently suspended on invisible strings, like a magical marionette held by unseen Hands. They intrigue me to no end. It causes me to relax like few things can, yet encourages me to rise to new heights at the same time. More than anything else their beauty causes me to loose track of all time.

Have you ever seen the sarcastic sign which says, “It is impossible to soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by a bunch of turkeys”? An old friend had one made to rebut that. His new sign inspires, “It is impossible to remain a turkey once you have soared with the eagles.”

Could it be that we see the cares of this world as a foe somewhat akin to a brutal wind? Because of the necessity of living in the world are we rooted to the soil like trees, obligated to care for our families and businesses and such. Because we are created in Hisimage we long to be able to soar. And in Jesus we can,when we allow the gentle yet strong wind of the Spirit to carry us above the daily grind and routine.My prayer for you this day is that you, too, may be able to find a quiet moment alone with the Lord in thebeauty of His creation; that the cruel winds of the world’s cares would fade away and allow your spirit to soar. Effortlessly and ever higher, even if just for a moment, may you fly.

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends ofthe earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31