REFLECTIONS

Roots and Wings

In the course of their development, teenagers are often torn between defining their own identity and conforming to the identity of their peers. We have all been there. It occurs to me that it really takes a very long time to outgrow that stage of life. The hairstyle of the generation may be abandoned, or conformity to a more traditional dress code may occur, but most of us continue to avoid (or at least conceal) becoming who we really are. We may begin by trying to be someone we wish we could be, or someone that somebody else thinks we should be. But somewhere in our journey, we all finally search for answers about who God made us to be and how we fit into his great plan. The answer is usually hidden deep in our hearts in the form of our foundation, our giftedness, and in the things that bring energy and joy to our lives.

Once in a tribute to our parents my brother referenced an old adage. “It has been said that there are two things parents should give their children. The first is roots; and the other is wings. Our parents gave us both.”

Parents provide roots and develop wings. Our roots are the foundation and the grounding in our lives. We look to our roots for nourishment, for strength, for points of reference, or sometimes as a place to which we may someday wish to return. Our roots can be an anchor and a home. But roots don’t make us fly.

Wings are the delivery systems for flight and it is on wings that our giftedness rides. With wings we can soar like eagles climbing to heights otherwise far from reach. Wings carry us through the adventures of life and to the places we go in pursuit of our dreams. But even as they develop their strength, wings alone can’t lift us.

Lift comes from wind beneath the wings; yet the source of wind stands before us as one of life’s great mysteries. We feel the stirring of it, sense its direction change, experience the effect of its blustery gusts or impending threat of its eerie calm. But those are not the wind; they are but the forces of it.

Roots and wings, God has given you both. And the wind beneath your wings? Well, you’ll find God placed it in the passion of your heart. That’s what makes you fly. By matching your roots and wings with the passion of your heart you can discover who God made you to be and how you fit into his great plan. You were created to be just as He made you.

And living the way He made you brings glory to his name.

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org.

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