Recommended Book: First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians - Kindle Edition (get Kindle app for phone) (paid link)
One of my childhood dreams was to be able to fly a kite. For one reason
or another, I could never quite pull it off. I envied greatly those playmates
of mine who could launch a burst of color into infinity with apparently
little effort. My kite seemed destined to be earthbound forever, and I didn't
like it, not one bit.
I still don't like being earthbound. I want to fly! I want to explore the
heights -- Up and Out There! I yearn for deliverance from the bondage of
my humanity. I want to shake off the shackles of my aching muscles and poor
hearing, my Tragedy Queen personality ("Nobody knows the trouble I've
seen!") and my 3-M complex (mother-martyr-messiah). I want to be free
of all those things which limit me, restrain me. Ah, yes, I want to be above
it all!
But I can't fly. At least not by myself. I am like the kite, needing wind
to bring me to life. Yes, I depend on the Risen Jesus to raise me up. Often
He comes like a gusty March wind, stirring me up, shaking me out of my complacency,
my boredom, my apathy. But for all His gustiness, the Lord is gentle. "A
bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench"
(Is. 42,3). How grateful I am that He respects my limits! In His mercy and
compassion, He both honors and hallows our human condition.
Again like the kite, I cannot launch myself alone. I need the assistance
of others. Sometimes the other will be one of the marvelous comrades God
has given to me -- a cherished friend, a trusted confidant, a kindred spirit,
a beloved spouse. More often than not, I will be launched by the very person
who crosses me, angers me, hurts or disappoints me. We are all God's gift
to each other. In one way or another, we touch and move every person who
comes into our lives. We can either tie each other down or set one another
free.
Kites fly best in wide-open spaces. So it behooves me to venture forth out
of myself, out of my own little ideas and hidden agendas, surrendering myself
with confidence and joy to the Risen Christ who goes before me into all
the Galilees of my life. I must allow Him to lead and even carry me, if
necessary, where He will. Letting go is essential. Kites that are tightly
controlled remain earthbound and don't fly at all. In His own time, in His
own way, Jesus will lead all of us out of our captivity, whatever it may
be. In Him we are not only shown but given the Way.
So it is that here and now, in our earthly exile, we can share in the risen
life of our Lord and Savior. Ours is the resurrection song for we are indeed
an Easter people, raised to new life with and by Him who once was dead but
now lives forever. ALLELUIA!
Alice Claire Mansfield
© March 1991