Soaring Eagle

Julie loved watching the birds with her grannie. There were so many colorful species to see, and her grannie knew the names of them all. "It would be fun to fly," Julie said as she watched a bright red cardinal take off from the bird feeder. "Can you imagine soaring into the sky like a bird?"Grannie smiled. "It would be fun just to see what it's like, wouldn't it?""I wonder why God made birds fly and we just have to be boring and walk."Grannie chuckled. "He must have His reasons."Julie watched another bird take off and fly through the sky, and she put her arms out like wings."You know, the Bible does mention something about us flying," Grannie said.Julie glanced at her. "It does?""In Isaiah, it says that those who hope in the Lord will soar on wings as if they were eagles," Grannie said.Julie's eyes widened. "Does it really?""Yes." Grannie smiled. "But I don't think it's meant to be taken literally--it's not saying we'll physically fly. I think it means that when we put our trust in God, it will feel like we're flying because of the strength, hope, and joy He gives us."Julie turned toward the window again as a beautiful orange oriole landed on the feeder. She would love to fly like a bird, but she was glad God had made her a human.A few days later, Julie and Grannie took a walk to look for birds. They saw many beautiful species fly about before her grannie pointed excitedly toward the sky."Look, an eagle!" Grannie said.Julie's eyes widened as she watched the huge bird soar gracefully through the sky. "Wow. That's what God can help us be like?"Grannie nodded. "Because we trust in Jesus, we can soar like that strong eagle. Jesus gives us strength to face life's difficulties, and one day, when He returns, He will give us new bodies that will never grow tired or weary.""Wow," Julie said again. It was fun to see how much larger and more majestic the eagle looked than the other birds, and it was amazing to know that God could make her soar just like it. –Bethany Acker