Freedom in Gliding Like the Birds

I’ve always admired large birds such as eagles and Mississippi Kites. They seem to fly so effortlessly, soaring high or swooping low, in search of prey or protection. We’ve been fortunate to have a nest of kites in a neighbor’s tree. They usually appear every summer and put on quite a show for me as I watch from the patio. Kites don’t flap their wings when they fly; they spread them to catch the wind currents. Watching them glide so freely makes me smile and wish I were up in the sky with them.

On one particular day, those birds served as God’s vessels of grace. I didn’t notice them at first. I was having a challenging morning. I had woken up in a foul mood, and it seemed I was determined to wallow in my problems. I was certain that nothing would go right that day. For starters, I woke up to my cat jumping on me in bed and meowing for her breakfast. As I brushed my teeth, I thought of all I had to do that day. Nothing major was on the list, but each task I thought of took on a negative vibe. By the time I got dressed and made coffee, I felt completely overwhelmed and a bit angry.

I decided I would continue sabotaging my emotions while having my coffee on my patio. I plunked down in a chair and proceeded to ruminate with my negative thoughts and anxiety. I stared at the ground below me, absorbed in my angst and convinced I was the only person with issues that would never be resolved.

That’s when God got my attention. God’s nudge came in the form of a cool, gentle breeze that knocked over a potted plant. I was not happy about that and left it on its side to grow at this new angle, and I went back to staring at my shoes. Again, a cool, gentle breeze blew, this time sending my napkin into the grass in front of me. Great, I thought, now I have to get up and chase after it. When I did, God’s little nudge hit me. At that moment, I looked up and saw not one, but six Mississippi Kites soaring above me.

It was truly a beautiful sight to see all six flying in a circle, then alone, and then in unison again. They seemed to be floating on the air, so free and unburdened. I knew that this was a gift from God, a distraction to turn my attitude around. And it did.

Later in prayer, I realized that experience was just part of God’s gift to me. There was more, like the magis of Ignatian spirituality. In prayer, God had me look beyond the surface of the event to see the symbolism. God was reminding me that those birds’ freedom in gliding is what God wants for me and for all of us. Instead of sitting in my negativity, I just need to give my worries to God, who will carry me on the breeze of God’s care. Even on the days when I don’t want help, God knows how to open my heart to receive it. That’s how much God cares for me and for us all.

There is a freedom in letting go and giving my problems to God. It doesn’t mean all my problems will be solved, but it does mean I will be given the grace to deal with them. I don’t have to do it on my own.

I continued that day with the same issues, but I felt lighter from the consolation of God.

When has God given you a nudge in the right direction?

Image by Dick Daniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.