Isaiah 40:30-31 (NKJ) 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.

When I think of an eagle, I picture majestic strength and effortless power. Circling slowly in the sky, relying on the winds for their calm serene motion. This morning, I feel more like a much smaller winged creature, a sparrow- struggling to fly against the wind. Exhausted. Drained of my strength and just wondering how I’ll ever get to where I’m going. I didn’t sleep well, and absolutely just wanted to stay in bed today. But I know getting up before the sun (and more importantly, my children) is the only way I can have my time with the Lord. So, here I am.

Thankfully, God knows I’m here too. What a wonderful passage this morning. Reminding me (again) that trying to do life in my own power is just never going to work. It’s too much. But when I come to the Lord and trust Him for each day, my strength is in Him, rather than myself. Eagles are different from other birds of prey in their relatively larger, stronger build. Even smaller species of eagles have proportionally longer and more evenly broad wings, which give them more direct, faster flying. Eagles can totally fly on their own. But ,in all it’s might and power, an eagle uses the wind to ease it’s flight. I’ve seen bald eagles many times in my life as they are pretty common in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve never watched one struggle to fly. If I relied on God like an eagle soars, my struggles in life would disappear in the wind beneath my wings. Ok – I know…that was totally corny, but as soon as I read this verse, it’s what I thought of.