Just take another road

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."  (Helen Keller)   There are times when traffic moves so slowly - usually on my way home!  Those times when I want to be in the simplicity of my own space, comfortable in my sweats, and just free from the day's pressures it seems I have to languish through slow moving traffic and long lines of other waiting to do much the same thing!  Traffic lights turn red way before enough cars make their way through the intersection and more cars merge into already busy streets, further delaying our progress.  Ever get behind that semi carrying a load of housing materials or giant I-beams on their way to a construction site?  They don't just jackrabbit into a start!  If you are in the midst of others who are smart enough to have changed lanes to get around the semi, there is rarely any opening big enough for you to do the same, so you "creep".  On the inside, I am soaring.  On the outside, I am creeping!  Many times, the progress we make in life may not be the progress we had hoped to be making, but when we see ourselves mounting up with wings like the eagle, we are more likely to enjoy the journey.

Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The Eternal, the Everlasting God, the Creator of the whole world, never gets tired or weary.  His wisdom is beyond understanding.  God strengthens the weary and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care.  Young people will get tired; strapping young men will stumble and fall.  But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run—never winded, never weary.  They will walk—never tired, never faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31 VOICE)

Age and care - two killers of the human spirit.  One is pretty much outside of our control, while the other is entirely within it.  We will age, no matter how well we follow a regimented diet rich in that substance or another, exercise regularly, or refrain from certain practices which will place our bodies at risk.  No one lives without aging - that is just a fact of life. The parts wear out!  Care, on the other hand, is within our control, for we determine what we will hold onto and what we will let go.  The focus of our minds is determined by us, and as such, we are the ones who can either dig in deeper to that which places burdens too great for us to bear, or we can lift them up to the one who desires to carry them in the first place.

Both wear upon us and eventually will wear us down unless we allow God to help us.  We only regain our strength when we seek a source of strength clearly outside of our own ability or capability.  Our pressures in life are not always of our own making, but they are clearly impacting us - just like me being stuck in traffic on my way home.  I didn't invite all those drivers to head home at the same time I do - but they are there nonetheless.  Those who made the roadways didn't plan on all the people taking this one roadway home, either! There are multiple ways to reach the same destination - some slower, or requiring much more caution than others.  I may experience less traffic on the roads which contain multiple school zones and a few more stop lights, not to mention having to cross about four railroad crossings.  That way may not be any faster - but it may be less trafficked. 

We don't "soar" simply because there is less "traffic" where we travel, though.  We simply don't have the same distractions, nor the same obstacles.  We do have obstacles, they are just different.  No matter how we travel through this life, we face some form of barriers to our progress and things which will weigh us down.  We cannot escape that fact.  The "road" to where we are heading may be different, but the destination is the same - we want to be where we are not presently or realize something we haven't realized yet.  We want safety, security, and perhaps even a little enjoyment. How we get there is often riddled with all manner of "cares" which get in the way of us realizing what we desire.  The most important thing to remember is that we don't soar on our own. We soar because God lifts the weights of our cares and gives us wings to soar!  Just sayin!