The Umbilical Cord. The Heart of the Matter, Part 5 (God at Work)
I had never
seen such a thing. Two people near Paihia, New Zealand,
were flying in a special contraption that looked
like a minimized hang glider. The device was connected however, by an extreme
extra-long cord, to a motor boat. The speed of the boat kept it up in the air,
guiding it through the wide open space of the sky.
I stared at it, amazed. People were actually flying without the aid of a motor,
and had effortlessly reached the heights of the sky. And as long as they stayed
connected to the speed boat via the umbilical-looking attachment, they would
never fall.
It is this that reminded me of a passage in the Bible: "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." (Is 40:31 NIV)
Just like these people, we, as Christians, can soar way up high, just like
eagles! But we, too, have to rely on an "umbilical" cord that attaches us to our
Maker and Saviour. This "umbilical" cord is called trust.
But trust doesn't come too easily, especially nowadays.
To trust completely we have to set aside our pride, as well as all of our petty
preoccupations. We have to put our entire focus on the person we trust. Only
then can we soar way up to heights we would never have imagined. Gone are the
addictions. Gone are the worries. Gone is any selfishness and unforgiveness.
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well." (Matt 6:33-34 NIV)
This is where most of us go wrong. We are so attracted by our own obsessions
that we never find the time to start trusting anyone, much less the one many
sadly call the "Man upstairs". And that's where we continue to live a mundane
life with all its whistles called addictions attached to it.
We all fall short of the assured promise: "All these things will be given to you
as well."
It seems to be human nature that as soon as we are experiencing any kind of
soaring in the heights of the sky, we immediately take out our pocket knife and
severe the cord that keeps us in the air. "We can do it by ourselves" we claim,
only to discover over and over again that it is not so, after we
crash.
If we only took the time, we might realize one day that "soaring like eagles" is
truly a reality for those who set aside their pride. "God can do anything, you
know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest
dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit
deeply and gently within us." (Eph 3:20 The Message)
We can fly like eagles, but only if we truly stay connected to God in all
humility with the "umbilical" cord called total trust.
We have a lot to thank our Heavenly Father for. Not only is He our Creator and
our Saviour, not only has He sent us numerous love letters through His Word, not
only has He provided a guide to help us through the chaos of this world, He has
made it possible for us to fly above all the mediocrity of this life.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be
thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is
a consuming fire." (Heb 12:28-29 NIV)
Where is my Swiss Army knife? I thought I had put it in my right pocket! Ahhhh!
Rob Chaffart