Today I was watching some squirrels gleefully jumping and playing very high up off the ground in some tree branches. I was struck at how carefree and natural it seemed for them to be up so high, and yet not be afraid of falling.

You sometimes hear of a cat getting “stuck” in a tree, but never a squirrel. (That’s where they belong!)

Anyhow, this whole observation reminded me of a section in my book:

“On the highest mountainside, or in the uppermost branch of a great tree, does the eagle fear falling? Truly, can he fall?” (from Tears from a Lonely God - Chapter Seven: Wings of My Grace.)

Obviously an eagle evokes a much more noble image than a squirrel, but I think the analogy is the same. Certain animals belong in certain places, and when they are out-of-place, they are either uncomfortable, fearful, or even paralyzed. Think of the classic saying, “like a fish out of water.”

So too, I think it is the very same way with God’s spiritual life that He has for each and every single born-again Christian. If we are still clinging to our old nature, that of our flesh, God’s plans and spiritual callings will seem not only elusive to us, but also strange and foreign.

I’m reminded of this passage of Scripture:

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” -John 3:6-8

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 9:24 pm and is filed under Sayings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.