Clipping The Wings of Our Children

I can remember one weekend at Lake Texana as I sat outside my camper with a cup of coffee early in the morning to watch the sun come up. One of the most exciting aspects of camping is often found in the early hours of the morning just before the sun comes up to warm the day. On this morning, I got to see two baby birds learn to fly.

I was sitting there with the cup of coffee and the morning began with me slightly irritated at the fact the chirping of a bird was interfering with me telling God how wonderful the site was that I had selected for my camper. I can even remember the bird flying out to a post just to the right of the bush and continuing his constant chatter. It wasn't long until I noticed some rustling in the bush and I let myself consider a predator might be lurking in the bushes to eat the bird and possibly even how the older bird might actually be trying to lure the predator away from the nest. In a few short minutes, a bird still chirping a way, I noticed a small "baby" bird come out on the branch and hop around. You should have heard the chuckle in my heart as the bird would hop, flutter wings, flip almost upside-down and finally secure it's balance on the limb.

The first bird finally gave up on the chirping (for a little while) and flew back to the branch to hop around with the baby bird. I am not sure but I must have thought the bird got irritated and just had to get away for a few minutes and yell about all his problems but once again, the bird flew back to the post and just would not give up on the chirping.

Another bird appears in the bush and then another "baby" bird with her (yeah I said her because it was the mommy bird). Ok, all joking aside, we all know how the men of the family are not usually very patient and when it is time to get going, it is time to GET GOING!

My coffee is getting cold by this time but I am not about to get a warm-up and miss what may come next since I have four birds "ruining" my morning time with God. The adult bird in the bush keeps hopping around and nudging the baby birds and the "beautiful" papa bird is still chirping away. I am getting a handle on all of this and understand that papa bird has been sent out for food and everyone back in the nest is looking for his return. That has to be the real reason for all his constant chirping!

In what seemed like only a few seconds, the papa bird flew back to the bush, looked around and then following his lead, they all flew off. They didn't fly just to the post but rather soared into the morning sun breaking through to light the day. They did just what they had been created by God to do and instead of a bird disturbing my private time with God, He presented me with a private and spectacular gift of His creation.

In the telling of this story, you can tell I knew what was taking place. I had it all figured out much to the differing reality of what took place and by now, I hope you are wondering what this has to do with the title chosen for this blog.

The birds were created to fly and the male bird was not their to disturb me or to lure a predator from harming his young. He was there to encourage the children to do what they had been created to do; FLY! He would not let up because they had not accepted their reality of flight given to them by God.

God created you and I for His purpose and yet growing up, I had my wings clipped! Jesus came to set me free in Him and it is as if everyone teaching me about God would get out the clippers and clip a little more freedom from my life. I was told, "you can't do this," "you have to do it this way," "if you feel joy doing something we don't approve of you are being deceived by Satan," and the predator (Satan) is right there waiting to devour you if you don't do things just right."

I mentioned the passion for Christ before and I now know that I had my wings clipped for so long, I forgot that my purpose in creation was to fly free in Christ. I am glad I have attempted to shelve my clippers because possibly my children will be free to fly. Even in saying this, there is much more to the story because not only did the bird not keep his children in the nest, he would not let up with the encouragement to fly until they jumped off the limb in faith and grasp the reality of creation.

It won't be long until we get to our VBS and if we are not going to use every tool available to us for the cause of Christ, I would rather cancel it all together than pull out the clippers and keep our children from becoming what God created them to become. You might think this harsh but it was Jesus who gave us the warning about harming the children.

Go ahead, if you wish, and sharpen your clippers but count me out! I have been clipped so long I don't really know how to fly and I don't want the same results for our kids that we will get by doing the same things we have done in the past. It will be much more fun to jump from the limb together and fly off into creation waiting to see us take flight!