The View Out The Laundry Room Door

On a Bible study morning, I know the texts are going to come.
Women with young children can only put their plans in pencil.
Everyone’s heart is here in my home ready to study God’s Word.
Life sometimes, throws things at us at the last minute.

It has been one of those weeks.
Emails and texts came from various people with needs that demand prayer.
It is a privilege to be trusted with someone’s story.
They need help to carry the weight of their burden, since it is often too heavy to carry alone.

I thought about the brokenness of our world.
Sickness, death, betrayal, confusion were just the tip of the iceberg.
I was weary, knowing the difficult burdens of so many.
I cannot even imagine carrying them all by myself.

Weariness can drive you to despair.
Weariness can also bring you closer to God.
One hopes for the latter.
Sometimes, it is the former that happens without warning.

It was one of those weary days.
It was one of those restless days.
It was one of those days when I just did not know how to help the many who are hurting.
It was one of those days when I had to remind myself what I know is true.

Even in our frustration and weariness, God meets us.
Especially then.
I looked out my laundry room door and saw them.
I saw two majestic birds with a large wingspan, flying in the sky.

They flew so beautifully above the trees.
They tipped their wings this way and that way.
They swooped down low, almost touching the tops of the trees.
They soared upward again.

I wanted to join them.
I wanted to open the door and fly.
Not away, but up.
Not far, but over the weariness that seemed to hang there.

I watched the birds in flight for quite some time.
As I watched, the weariness seemed to lift.
As I watched, the shared burdens I carry with so many seemed to take flight.
As I watched, I saw something majestic and powerful in the sky.

I thought of God.
I thought of the One who created those majestic birds.
I thought of the beauty of their flight.
I thought of their perspective above the trees.

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

God’s Word came to mind.
The majesty of an eagle in flight was observed by Isaiah.
Isaiah must have been weary as he shared God’s Word with the people.
The people whom God loved; the people with stubborn hearts.

Running and not growing weary.
Walking and not feeling faint.
Hoping and renewing.
Soaring.

That is what I saw out my laundry room door.
Two majestic birds soaring in the sky.
Two majestic birds that changed my perspective.
Two majestic birds that caused me to look up.

Looking down will always focus on the brokenness.
Looking down will only give you an earthly view of things.
Looking up and seeing the vastness of the sky, changes our perspective.
We see how small we are compared to God’s majesty.

Seeing how small we are actually helps our outlook.
That seems antithetical.
If we see our smallness, we must see God’s bigness.
We see that there is Someone who sees the whole picture completely.

It is the bird’s eye view I needed.
It is being above the situations so that they can be viewed differently.
It is seeing myself as small.
It is seeing that I am incapable of fixing any of the things that have been shared.

What a good place to be.
As I watched those majestic birds, I thought of all the prayers that have been said.
As the birds soared above the trees, I imagined my prayers going with them.
My perspective changed.

My view is limited.
God’s view is complete.
I can only see parts of a situation.
God can see the whole thing clearly.

I almost envied the two majestic birds.
I wanted to stand on the front step and wait for them to swoop down.
I wanted to hop on their wings and fly.
I wanted the bird’s eye view.

But I am not God.
My perspective is always going to be in bits and pieces.
However, those bits and pieces are known and need to be lifted in prayer.
Tethered to earth, I can pray and my prayers will soar.

The ones for whom I pray can run and not grow weary.
They can walk and not faint.
They can hope and renew their strength.
They can soar.

We trust God who has the bird’s eye view.
All we can do is pray and bring those situations to the Father.
We can leave them safely there and know that those prayer requests are heard and known.
We hope, even as we are tethered to earth in all its brokenness.

2 responses to “The View Out The Laundry Room Door”

1. HOPE- such a small word for such a big blessing

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   • Amen, Linda!

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