Hebrews 6:19
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
As I paused a moment to notice the breeze today, it brought my mind back to those many fall afternoons I spent as a child. Possibly one of my favorite memories of growing up on an acre of land in south Florida is my kite flying days. It’s true, not only did I enjoy the wind under the kite, but I was even responsible for fashioning a few of my own. It’s amazing what you can create with a couple palmetto bush stems, old sewing material, some wadded up string, and the pocket knife your 90 year old great-grandfather gave you. In all reality most of the kites I created never left land due to their intensive weight. Of the ones that did, several broke free of my hand and fell into a distant wooded area due to the use of weak string; the lack of dedication hindered many from even making it through the creation process.
I have come to realize that my Christian life, its ups and downs, can be compared greatly to the kites I once flew high above my house. As a child of God, it should be my desire to grow closer to Him on a daily basis. If you will allow the analogy, I continually press forward in an effort to climb higher and higher in my Christian walk- much the same as a kite on a string. Unfortunately several obstacles have, and still can, hinder my assent if I am not careful to obediently follow Christ’s every instruction for life.
All to often, we as Christians fail to sacrifice the things that the Lord would require of us. We attempt to grow in our faith, yet hold on to the baggage of our previous life. The book of Romans commands us to be living sacrifices, holy and pleasing unto the Lord. Just as many of my kites never took off because I decorated them to heavily or used the wrong material we too are often held down by the sinful desires we long to hold onto.
Furthermore, we fail to recognize the importance of the Word of God in our lives. If I am to be compared to a kite, diligent study may be compared to the string that anchors me to the ground. Additionally, I understand that while flying a kite, if the very string that holds it to the ground was to snap, the kite would not take off in a steep climb, but rather fall to the ground quite dramatically. It is very important that we, as children of God, recognize the need for a strong “string” in our lives. The Bible was given to us not so that we might be held down by rules or regulations, but that we may “fly” ever closer to God. Without the Bible daily becoming an intricate part of our lives, we have nothing to keep us in check. We have nothing to stop us from being thrown and tossed in the wind, or worse yet, plummeting to the ground.
Finally, I must stress the importance of living a life dedicated to God. We must diligently and purposefully live each and every moment with an end goal in mind. I’m sure that some of the kites on my drawing board could have forever changed the face of “kiteing” as we know it. Nonetheless, because of my lack of dedication, those kites never came to be. Just as an uncompleted kite will never take flight, neither will an incomplete Christian rise to the heights God has planned for his life. Trusting the Lord for salvation is far different than purposefully fashioning your life as a follower of Christ. We must make it a point to live for Christ after our conversion. How well is your kite holding up?