Flying by Faith

Recently I was tasked with explaining the concept of walking by faith to elementary students. If you want to really get a grip on the truth of a subject try to figure out a way to explain it to a child. The story below is what God gave me.

Perched on a ridge high above a vast valley were four birds. Three of the birds were eagles proud and noble. The fourth was a penguin somewhat out of place. As all four of the birds looked across the valley they searched for thermals. These rising columns of invisible air are every birds dream because if he happened to fly into one he can soar for hours searching for food. Without the thermals finding food is difficult and exhausting.

The penguin stood on the edge and told the other birds tales of riding the thermals for hours. He explained how he managed to locate the invisible winds and exactly what one must do to stay aloft riding the air for hours. The penguin was very convincing, so convincing that the eagles almost believed that this penguin had actually experienced the amazing lift of a thermal, but of course, the penguin never left the cliff. After all, he was a penguin and penguins don’t fly.

The first eagle stood on the edge of the cliff worried and scared. He had been taught that thermals are out there waiting to be found, but he couldn’t see them. In order to discover a thermal he knew that he must jump and fly down toward the bottom of the valley. As he imagined doing this visions of what could go wrong filled his head. What if I crash? What if I can’t find one and I am too tired to fly back home? The worries of what could happen kept his feet firmly planted on the ridge. He would have a hard time finding food and would not experience the joy of soaring high above the earth.

The second eagle stood on the edge of the cliff confident that he knew exactly what to do. He knew for sure that he would be able to find all the food he needed. He looked across the valley and pinpointed exactly where he thought a thermal should be. With great vigor and enthusiasm he jumped from the cliff and dove toward the bottom. He adjusted his course so that he was headed for the location that he believed contained a thermal. As he flew he felt his right wing tip toward the sky. This unexpected gust of wind knocked him off course. He fought to correct his path, but he kept experiencing the nudge of an invisible draft pulling him in a different direction. The eagle was determined to not allow this wind to take him away from where he wanted to go. He wrestled and fought all the way to the area where he was convinced the thermal would be, but nothing was there, no wind, no lift, no soaring. Exhausted from fighting so hard to get where he wanted to be the eagle fell to the earth.

The third eagle stood on the edge of the cliff excited and a little scared. He looked out over the valley not knowing where he would find a thermal and this made him cautious. All of his life he had heard the stories about thermals. Catching a thermal and soaring far above the valley was not only the best way to find food, but it was also the most exhilarating way to fly. The eagle looked over the edge and took a deep breath. He was certain the thermals were there but there was only one way to find out, diving off the edge. The eagle dove and zoomed toward the bottom of the valley. As he flew he carefully paid attention. The moment he felt the tip of his wing lift toward the sky, he turned toward it. Immediately the eagle felt the rush of the thermal carrying him high above the valley. The eagle spread his wings and let the current carry him where it wanted. Effortlessly he soared for hours. He did find plenty of food that day but the greatest thing he found was the joy of soaring through the clouds.

The point of it all is:

1. Faith is where our journey begins. From the moment of salvation we become creatures destined to walk by faith.

2. Faith must not stop with salvation. Don't let fear and what you want rob you of the joys of faith.

So do you relate to one of the birds? Which one? It is time to jump and let God take you where He wants you to go.