The Struggle to Fly

Hannah Whitall Smith tells a story in her book, “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life” of overcoming the mountains in our life. She said that one of her friends told her how her three of her friends faced the mountains in their life. “She said if they should all three come to a spiritual mountain which had to be crossed, the first one would tunnel through it with hard and wearisome labor. The second would meander around it in an indefinite fashion, hardly knowing where she was going, and yet, because her aim was right, getting around it at last. The third, she said, would just flap her wings and fly right over. This clearly points us to the verse in Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” She goes on to say that the two wings we must use to fly in the Christian walk are surrender and trust.

We have the ability as believers to face our obstacles and fly over them with surrender and trust, but what are the things that hinder are flight. Let me give you a few things that will hinder your flight of faith. If we know what they are, we can better overcome them.

One thing that hinders are flight is the snares of doubt. It is hard to get off the ground when we are still tied to it. We doubt God so much it becomes a regular habit and it makes it harder for us to fly over our mountains.

Of course, there is also the snare of sin. It is hard to be fully surrendered to a Holy God and His will for our life when we seem to have already surrendered to the ways of the world. Sin imprisons us. It is hard to fly when we are in the cage of sin.

How about distance from our source of power? Birds do not get off the ground with broken wings. There is no power to take flight. For us as believers, our power source is our relationship and fellowship with God. The further away we go the less power we have.

We also find that we can’t fly with extra weight. Birds can only carry so much. Humans are no different. We weigh ourselves down with cares, anxieties, and worries. Is it any wonder when we come to the big mountains in our life we can’t get off the ground?

As believers, we can’t fly in our faith when we are tethered to the ground because of doubt, in a cage of sin, or weighted down with all our fears. God promises that those who wait will have the strength we need. That strength comes from a close walk. By walking with God, we find that this is the only true way to fly.

I quoted often from Hannah Whitall Smith’s book “The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life.” If you want a book that will strengthen your walk, find a copy and read it and it will truly bless your heart.