A Safe Place to Land
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. Psalm 57:1 (NIV)
Sometimes I feel like I am headed into the wind and each step I take is met with an extreme force that pushes against me. We all have experienced this and know that we can’t just give up! Even though we don’t make much headway, something within us compels us to keep moving. Erin Lynum (All God’s Creatures) encourages us to use the birds’ natural instincts when faced with difficulties.
*****
Wind whips at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, stirring up thick dust clouds. Tumbleweeds bounce and fly across the prairie as if thrown by giants. In the seven years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen Colorado’s wind so fierce. A flock of geese flies—or attempts to fly—overhead. I can nearly feel their angst. I wonder if they regret delaying the start of their migration. Had they left yesterday, they’d be well on their way. Instead, they press hard against the wind gusts only to nudge an inch across the sky.
I feel like those geese more often than I like to admit. How often have I ignored an inner call, prompted by God’s Spirit, to make a move? As I procrastinate, conditions shift, and it becomes all the more difficult to begin. I get in my own way and make an endeavor far more complicated than God meant it to be.
I watch the geese and know their weary wings won’t last much longer—but they’ll be OK. Birds have a strategy for those adverse scenarios. When a storm interrupts migration routes, birds practice a “Fallout” and find a safe place to land—an early stopover to wait out the weather. God has graciously provided these shelters along my journey too. When I step outside the cadence of His timing or miss His direction completely, He does not leave me to my own wandering. Instead, He welcomes me into His haven and reminds me His yoke is easy and burden is light. He provides the refuge I need. In the wise words of friends, lyrics from a hymn, truth from His Word and peace from His Spirit, I find the restoration and strength I need to continue.
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11 (NIV)