Becoming Like Him

  It's a season of new life around here: the woods are bursting with the sights and sounds of God's creation - of newly-hatched little birds trying out their wings for the first time, of the old teaching the young how to sing, of the flowers shedding winter's gloom and opening up to the sun. New life is everywhere...

  Just the other day, while up in my room, I noticed a flash outside my window. I went over to see what it was and, to my surprise, I saw a baby bird testing out its wings. It would sit on the ground for the longest time, then would get up the courage to try. It would spread its wings and flap feverishly, making it several feet in the air, then would float back down again and rest. 

Later that same day, I saw yet another bird that was trying to test its wings. It sat on the edge of the roof of my house, teetering. It looked over the ledge, contemplating whether or not it should take the leap of faith and try to fly. Eventually it did, making it over to a nearby tree. 

  As I watched these two birds, I came away with a fresh insight into my own life: spiritually, I am just like these two birds. I am trying to imitate my Creator, to learn how to spread my wings, to take the leap of faith, and to fly with confidence. As I make my journey further with Grace, there are days when I fly on wings so strong I think I could go on forever. Other days, there is much flapping and little progress. In those moments, it sometimes seems futile to try again. Failure appears to be staring me in the face. But even when the thought of quitting seems the most attractive, a God-given courage fills me with hope. Maybe this time, I will succeed. I will try again...
  The effort of attempting is what He will honor. He will bless the fact that I am desiring to be like Him, to fly on the wings of faith, to make my song sound like His. Perfection won't be attained in this life, but I can strive for it. I can try my best to reach higher, to become more and more like my Creator. One day, my wings will hold me up, and I will soar on the heights of His amazing grace.