Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Spiritual Journey Thursday - FLY

     I look forward to Thursdays when I can publish thoughts on my spiritual journey and hear the thoughts of others on a weekly theme topic.  It has become a space for an encouraging and fortifying community to come together.  We welcome anyone who would like to join us!
 
For the next month and a half, we are writing about the Spiritual Journey Thursday community's One Little Words.  We'd love for you to join us!  If you have a OLW and would like us all to write about it, let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@muellerholly), and I will add you to our calendar.
 
This week, we are writing about Michelle Haseltine's One Little Word: FLY
 
 
 Photo taken by my daughter, Katie.
 
     I love birds.  My family teases me a bit about it.  And yet, they indulge me.  My husband constructed a focal point of bird feeders in our perennial garden in the backyard, and my daughters have given me hummingbird feeders and bird-watching books for various special occasions. There is something so endearing about birds.  They can be so innocent, so bright-eyed, so majestic, so symbolic.  Apparently, I'm in good company with my affection for birds.  God loves them, too.  Did you know there are about 90 Bible verses that refer to birds?  Here are some of my favorite:
 
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  Matthew 6: 25-27a
  
"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40: 31


     Even the Holy Spirit is compared to a dove, descending on Jesus upon baptism. 

"And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove."  - Mark 1:10
 
     Therefore, when I think of Michelle's word FLY in its spiritual realm, I think of how God cares for the sparrow and us so much more, bestows upon us the dove of the Holy Spirit, and ignites our strength so we can soar like the eagle. 
 
 
Join us in upcoming link-ups about more OLWs!
 
JANUARY 29th: Leigh Anne Eck's OLW, TURN
FEBRUARY 5th: Margaret Simon's OLW, REACH
FEBRUARY 12th: Justin Stygles's OLW, LOOK
FEBRUARY 19th: Greg Armamentos's OLW, DIVE (Dwell, Ignite, Venture, Embody)
FEBRUARY 26th: Ramona Behnke's OLW, STRETCH 
 
 

7 comments:

  1. Thank you, Holly for reminding us that the Lord cares for all living things. I enjoyed flying with writing this week. Your photo of the bird is picturesque and perfectly posed. Looks like he was enjoying hinself.

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  2. I love birds as well. Their beautiful, simple acceptance that things will be provided is a lesson that I remind myself of often. I love how you looked at the concept of flying and looked at it from their perspective. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. I love how different and yet similar this community is. My take on fly is a bit different. I get the sparrow and long for God's love as much as anyone, but somehow today I relate to the seagull searching for perfect flight. I worry that I get too overly emotional and poetic with these posts. However, this community offers me safety and freedom. Thanks for that!

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  4. Holly, I LOVE this!!! I love the picture your daughter took. I could have used it in my post. Thank you for these thoughts and for this opportunity!! Seeing my OLW through the eyes of others is such a gift!! Thank you!

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  5. How can we not feel comfort by knowing this verse? "Are you not much more valuable than they?"

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  6. My husband is the bird lover in our family. When he's out of town, he's always asking if I watched the birds. I love how you focused on verses that had birds in them and especially your phrase "ignites our strength so we can soar like the eagle." We both cited this verse in our posts this week.

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  7. I read Michelle's post first and my heart and mind went to the verse of Isaiah as well. <3

    I love this song...a favorite...Thank you for sharing this video.

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