Have you ever wondered in your life, when you will ‘arrive’?  You know – that longing to arrive to the destination you’ve been seeking your entire life?  Teenagers think that moving out and attending college is it.  Students believe graduating and finding a job is it.  Singles believe that finding a spouse will be it, while some married people believe that only if they were single again, that would be it.   

In a sense, we are all striving towards this utopia, and as a result, we falsely believe that we will arrive, when in actuality, we were never meant to…at least not here on earth.  We long to feel satisfied and full, and we wrestle with ourselves and God to get there.  

Like a caged bird, we just want to be free.  Like a wounded animal in a rescue facility, we long to be healed and run free.  Like a horse whose spirit is being broken, we long to be free from our captor (which is usually ourselves).  We seem to think if we can just throw off the shackles we will arrive. But there’s more to it. 

What if…just what if, we are meant to be held captive?  What if being a bird with clipped wings is the thing we’re fighting against, yet the very thing we need? I know that statement doesn’t sound quite right but hear me out.  

We live in a freedom culture.  Satisfying our flesh is encouraged, especially in our generation today.  “If you don’t like your marriage, get out.”  “You can go to whichever bathroom you want to.” “If you want to eat dessert all day long, just go ahead and do that.”  “If you want to have an open marriage, no one should stop you from exploring that.”  “Your husband/wife mistreated you?  You’re justified in your wrath against them.”   “Do what ‘feels‘ right in the moment.”   

But hang on.  No, those things aren’t good for us.  We’re called to something above ourselves.  We’re called to surrender to clipped wings. When I die to my flesh, it’s painful. But the clipped wings keep me from flying off a ledge. The clipped wings keep me safe.