For the Birds

But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

~Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

WORN OUT AND WEARY

While in San Diego over Spring Break, I found myself mesmerized as I listened to fascinating facts about the animals at the San Diego Zoo.   The bus lurched to a squeaky stop in front of a large flock of flamingos.  Ordinarily, I am not super impressed with these tall pinkish-orange birds.  Not that they aren’t beautiful, but, come on, we were eager to see the polar bear, panda bear, and big cats.  I would have been fine with riding right on by the birds.

Our guide was telling us that the flamingo’s coloring is a result of the beta-Carotene in their diet.  This is the same stuff that made my babies’ noses orange when they fell in love with sweet potatoes and carrots and would eat nothing else!

I listened as our cheerful tour guide described why some of the flamingos look greyish-white instead of bright pink or orange.  She told us very matter-of-factly that those were the mommas.  She said that all flamingos are born with grey feathers and that what they eat gives them their famous coloring.  So, the birds that lacked that bright, vibrant appearance, well, those were the tired-out, worn-out, exhausted mommas who are too busy feeding their babies to take care of themselves. 

“Huh," I thought to myself, "incredibly familiar."  As I sat there taking in everything our guide was saying, it hit me… hard.  I saw myself in those flamingos.   Only a momma who is ragged and worn around the edges as she rolls out of bed (sometimes at the crack of dawn and sometimes in the middle of the night) knows the energy it requires to muster up the patience, the determination, and the will power to face a day with little ones (or big ones) who are in constant need. 

Oh, how I wish I had eight arms like an octopus some days.  Or a shell like a clam or turtle to escape the never ending requests that start with “Mommy, I need.....”  Sometimes, I wish I was as fast as a cheetah so when another a potty request is made after we are all buckled in the car, I can run like the wind and arrive everywhere on time instead of always running late. 

As I stared at these beautiful birds, all of a sudden, I could pick out all the momma flamingos.  Just as the tour guide had explained, they were the ones that were pale in comparison to the birds who were clearly well nourished.  They were easy to spot because they didn’t look as healthy as the other birds, who wore the evidence of a body well-fed.  On days that Jake and Lilly are in pre-school, I often find myself wondering aimlessly around places like Target just enjoying the fact that I don’t have two little ones trying to climb out of the cart.  But without fail, I always run across women who (even if they don’t have their children in tow) have that weary and exhausted look that I’ve come to recognize in my own mirror.

EAGLE'S FEATHERS

This morning I read Isaiah 40:31, a verse I know well and love deeply.  I couldn’t help but make the bird connection as I asked for strength for the day before me.

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

I love that it doesn’t say “those who strive really, really hard on their own…”

Or “those who muster up all of their left over strength from the day before…”

Or “those who have it all together…”

Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength.

Those who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength.

I love the idea of soaring like an eagle, far above the world, strong and steady and swift.  I read in one of my bible’s footnotes that an eagle sheds its feathers in the beginning of spring and takes on a new, youthful appearance.  With new plumage comes renewed strength.  Psalm 103:5 refers to this phenomenon as the writer declares, “your youth is renewed like the eagles.”  Oh, how I need my youth renewed!

This past weekend, I had a night out with two other moms.  One is expecting her second child in only two weeks.  The sweet baby boy taking up so much space in her tummy prevented her from finishing her dinner.  I remember those days when there’s just no more room, not even for a delicious dish, no matter how much you shift in your seat.  Many times during the last weeks of my pregnancy, I reluctantly set my fork down, not even halfway through my meal.  Now, my fork gets set down for a whole slew of different reasons.

As three mommas sat around the dinner table exchanging silly stories of potty training and sibling rivalry, I realized that we had so much in common with those pale grey birds I saw at the zoo.  Our time together was refreshing.  I shared with them how just a couple days before with a sick child at home, I had sent my incredibly helpful husband out to pick up Motrin and Pedialyte only to have him return with Tylenol and Pediasure. We joked about getting older or to be more accurate, feeling older with every new stage that parenting brought on.  Like the eagle, we also share the need to have our feather's made over.

It was in the middle of that dinner that I realized that unlike the flamingos, it wasn’t what we ate that made us prettier, stronger, more youthful; it’s what we allow to fill us that gives us what is needed to be a strong momma.  The strength is not our own- it’s God’s, and the only way to that strength is in realizing that we are weak and do not have what it takes.  I think that is why the word “wait” is so important in this verse. 

Waiting is all about trusting.  When I get impatient and try to go ahead of God and do things on my own, it’s because I’m choosing not to trust Him.  When I try to muster up my own strength, I fall short every time.  When I try to quench my thirst and satisfy my hunger with things other than Him, I grow weary and fatigued.

The end of this beautiful verse in Isaiah speaks of running and walking without being tired, worn-out or exhausted.  It seems a bit out of order that the running would be before the walking, but I think it might mean that once we choose to focus on running the race set before us, the next step is to chose to walk in faith each day, beginning with one step, then another and another, relying on Jesus each day for the strength we need. 

Though it might seem like a renewed appearance will produce strength, spiritual strength comes from above and is found within.  2 Corinthians 4:16 explains the difference between outward and inward strength:  “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

The Hebrew word for renew is chalaph, which means to change for the better, show newness, or sprout again.  It reminds me of trimming back branches at springtime so that new growth can burst forth.  Just as the eagle in the spring sheds those old, used-up feathers, we can shed our miserable attempts to be enough to those who need us.  As we shrug off the idea that we can handle everything, an amazing thing happens:  we get a change of clothes, beautiful and new, given to us by the One who has an endless supply of strength.

A momma who recognizes her own weakness and need for Jesus will be renewed with every ounce of strength she needs to face her day, whatever that day may hold.  And I believe that as Jesus fills our hunger, we too will become bright and vibrant and beautiful from the inside out.

VISIBLE STRENGTH

Anytime the Proverbs 31 woman is described, it seems as if mommas everywhere suck in a deep breath, waiting to hear how they are dim in comparison to this woman that seems perfect in every way.   But instead of treating her as something to strive after, I believe that God wants us to accept that she exists inside of each of us, whether we feel like it or not. 

She is described as having “arms strong for her tasks.”  I find it interesting that a few verses before it says that “she gets up while it is still night.”  Nowhere in this entire passage does it say anything about being tired, worn out, weary or exhausted and yet she gets up at dawn!  Clearly this woman must get a full eight hours of sleep to accomplish so much each day, right?!  But I can't help but wonder why she gets up while it’s still dark outside.  I wonder if she is anything like me, who every morning has to lay down my own strength (or lack thereof) before Jesus and acknowledge that I just don’t have what it takes.  I wonder if at the crack of day, she calls out to Jesus, too, saying, “You gotta help me today.  You are strong.  I am weak.  Help me, please.” 

Further down, these two precious words are used to describe the woman that lives inside each of us:  “She is clothed with strength and dignity.” As Jesus renews her strength inwardly, she exudes confidence, peace and beauty.  The Proverbs 31 woman is not perfect, but she knows that Jesus’ perfect love is all she needs to be everything to everybody in her crazy-busy, but oh, so blessed life.  In her weakness she relies on His strength, and His strength makes her strong.