Category: life

Life has a way of presenting circumstances that if we are not careful can clip our wings thus disempowering us from soaring to great heights. These wing clippers come in the form of losing (job, home, loved ones, cars, etc.), disappointments, discouragement, etc. They often come without warnings like a tsunami or earthquake. These circumstances often leave us feeling broken and like there is no hope or need to carry on. They force us to live in cooped up like chickens. However, we were never designed to live that way. We were formed and fashioned by the Creator to live like eagles that soar.

Eagles were never meant to live in chicken coops. They were made to fly at heights where no other bird can go. They were even designed to fly above the storms. Whenever storm clouds are setting in they would get excited because they use the storm winds to lift themselves higher. Eagles recognized that the storms of life came to assist them in getting to heights that they may not be able to get to themselves without the force of the winds from the storm. They have the storm bring it attitude as they know they can handle any storm as their Creator would not give them more than they can bear.

There are times, however, when these magnificent creatures get weak. In their time of weakness, they do not roll over and die. They instead they go to a higher place. If it gets weak, it goes to a high place on the mountain and plucks out its feathers and knocks its beak off until it is completely bare. He stays there until new feathers are grown.  The higher place that they go to is a representation of the secret place that we need to go in God and remain until we have been completely refreshed and renewed. It represents the intimate and honest relationship we need to have with our Creator.

I say to you don’t hang around with chickens as you are not a chicken regardless of what your circumstances tell you. You were created as an eagle with the ability to soar. Yes, they will talk about you, but that is because they are jealous of the liberty you possess. Afterall, they can’t really fly, and they are confined to a coop. Spread your wings eagles and soar. Rise above the criticisms, back-bitings, backstabbing, brokenness, etc. Be who you were designed to be. Don’t be confined by the coop others and circumstances try to trap you in, break off that beak, pluck out those feathers that are old and weighing you down.  Lay aside every weight that easily beset you. Retreat into God so that He can show you exactly what you need to do. Listen only to God’s voice and be obedient. Remember the storm was not sent to destroy you, it was meant to help you get to new heights. So soar as you were designed to and enjoy the picturesque view.

9/18/17 Dr. R.A.

Our idea of the pathway to greatness is different from God’s way. We often think that this path should be straight and without any form of hindrance. We believe that it is one with only fun and relaxation. It is probably hedged with our favorite flowers and the sun is bright and at the right temperature. On the road, we envision there is no struggle and everything we could possibly desire comes easily at the blink of an eye. To the contrary, however, God’s way is almost polar opposites from ours. For instance, God’s way to being exalted is for us to humble ourselves. His way for us to have much fruit requires a grain to fall into the earth and die.  Seemingly ironic God also uses tools that cause great pain for us to come to the place and become the person that He has called us to be. Unfortunately, rejection is one of those tools in the box that is necessary for us to become great. I say unfortunately because no one likes to know that they are not accepted into their social arena or the social class that they are trying to get in.

Rejection is God’s way of incubating our greatness. This method often causes painful thoughts. And if it occurs frequently it causes us to question our worth. But before we allow the enemy to infiltrate our minds with negative thoughts we should remember that any person who has been great had to experience rejection and sometimes on many accounts. In addition, they have had to live a life of loneliness and experience they varied emotions that come with this process. Nevertheless, their experiences did not devalue them in any way in the eyes of God. People like Moses, David, Joseph, and Jesus were all rejected. God employs these wonderful tools for incubating greatness within us because He cannot afford for us to be socially dependent upon anyone. Life has a way of misguiding us and manipulating us into thinking that people and things are our sources. As such, God makes us into misfits because He has chosen to raise us up and cause the greatness within to be put on display. He also wants the fact that He is our source to be embedded within. It does not matter what our needs are He is more than capable of supplying all of it in abundance.

Sometimes it may seem like our entire life is just chaotic and everything is screwed up, but God is doing it on purpose as He is an intentional God. Therefore, the fact that people are hurting our feelings, talking about us, being jealous and manipulative of us and backbiting, backstabbing and rejecting us is just His methodology of getting us into that great and exalted place. He is building up our resistance. He is taking us to a place where we have been delivered from people, the things they do and say. As such, don’t react to the things they do and say so that you can be used by God in a great way. Let their actions roll off you like water on a duck’s back. Remember that the stone that the builder refused has become the corner stone.

The rejection you are facing is incubating your greatness. In just a little while God will put it on display. So keep fervently seeking and worshipping God.

08/29/2017 Dr.R.A.