Scripture
But those who wait for the Lord’s help find renewed strength; they rise up as if they had eagles’ wings, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired.
~Isaiah 40:31, NET
Quote
Blessed be any burden, however overwhelming, which God has placed upon our shoulders.
~F.W. Faber
Isaiah is not suggesting that we literally fly like an Eagle: we humans have no wings and we cannot fly, not without help. An eagle weighs 7-10 pounds and has a wing span of 6-8 feet. A chicken weighs 6-8 pounds and has a wingspan of 18 inches. This means the eagle wings are four to five times larger. A barn yard chicken can fly, just not high or far. They have too much weight for too little wing. But Isaiah’s challenge is not for us to fly: it is a challenge to rise above the circumstances {like an eagle}. Isaiah’s exhortation is very practical: we are to run without growing weary, we are to walk and not faint or quit. We are to be eagles {overcomers}, not chickens.
There is an old fable about the creation of the bird. According to the fable, the Creator originally created the bird without wings. Birds were sleek creatures with beautiful feathers; they found their food on the ground and their refuge was in the brush. Then the Creator placed a heavy burden on their shoulders and He asks them to carry the burden with grace and nobility. Over time, the burden became a part of the bird’s body. Then for a period of time, the birds were into self discovery. Eventually, they learned that it was a set of wings that the Creator had put on their shoulders. They began exercising and stretching these wings; then one day, a bird running frantically, while being pursued by a predator, began flapping its wings in desperate panic. Suddenly the bird became air born and evaded the foe. All the birds began flapping their wings, they all learned to fly and even to soar high above the land and above their foes. The moral of the story is simple: burdens can become blessings.
One of my very favorite Greek words is hypomonē. It is a compound word: Hypo means under and monē means to stay. Put them together and you have “Stay under.” The NASB translates it ‘endure’ or ‘endurance’ whereas the KJV uses the word patience. Endurance by far is the better translation. Some who have little patience have great endurance. Endurance is the ability to stay under a burden. The natural tendency is to get out from under a burden; to cast it aside; to get rid of it. A marriage can be saved if one or both parties has the ability to stay under the burden. Every marriage will be tested sooner or later: don’t bail out at the first sign of trouble. A ministry can be saved by being willing to endure the burden. Ministry is not easy; just ask Moses. Moses was a great leader but he endured constant complaining and criticism. He was revered by many and respected by most but he was not loved nor appreciated until the LORD promoted him. The only way to survive in ministry is to play to an audience of ONE. Sure I would like to be popular but that is not my primary goal. My highest goal is to please my boss and as I told the WEE Care kids one day, “My boss is a Jewish Carpenter.” I will tell you this: the greatest blessing in life came as a result of staying under the burden. So flap your wings; rise above the circumstance. Put on your track shoes and hit the trail. When you get tired, just slow the pace to a steady walk but don’t quit. As Sir Winston said, “never, never, never quit!” You will carry a ton of regret if you do. How do you walk a mile? One step at a time…just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I think it was Wednesday before we actually got a good rain but PTL we have had two or three since. The garden is a mud hole and the corn should make. Matter of fact the farmers in this area should have a good corn crop. What I’ve seen looks good. Thank You Jesus for the wonderful rain. At my age, you have to do projects when your mood is right and I finally tackled two tough projects and thanks to the LORD we got’er done. All I have to do today is prepare for tomorrow and maybe cut a little grass. Have a wonderful Saturday.