My Heart... His Words

Friday, I asked for prayer for a big decision I had to make.

I referred to a Scripture I long to live out, the desire to "run and not grow weary, walk and not faint," realizing that this passage first tells me I must "wait upon the Lord."

So, I left for work Friday morning in a state of "waiting, listening, being still and open to His speaking."

I got stuck in traffic at our elementary school stop light.

God was already busy, teaching me to wait patiently. Smile

You have to know that getting stuck in traffic in our town is a lot like winning the lottery, it rarely happens except around 7:45 a.m. on a school day.

When I got to the school I was suppose to be at on this particular day, I hurriedly entered thinking that the room we were having our meeting in was in the left hallway.

As I turned to enter this particular area, I noticed a class of students gathered around a mom holding a chicken.

Yes, a chicken.

Now, I'll start by saying that I have a bad chicken memory from my childhood which my grandma took care of in a way that has kind-of scarred me.

Being pecked repeatedly by a chicken and then seeing your grandma decide to fix it for dinner leaves some kind of an impression, soooooooo

I turned and went another way.

But, I couldn't help but wonder what in the world God was trying to say to me through a chicken since I seem to live with a lot of fear of doing or not doing the right thing.

I found my co-worker, and our day started as it should have; and I mentioned the traffic earlier only because had I not been stuck for almost 15 minutes, I am sure I would have been in my meeting place before the chicken arrived at school.

God needed me to see this chicken.

I thought about it all day long, although my day proceeded with no indication that the chicken would ever resurface.

I visited with some teachers throughout the day, and we discussed everything from getting our priorities straight to making a difference in this world.

Our county has some awesome teachers who know Who should be first in life, so I always find talking with them rewarding and comforting.

Anyway, the day came to an end.

It was time to leave.

I remembered that I had parked at the end of the parking lot where parents off park while waiting to pick up their children.

It was a cold, windy day; so I decided to wait inside where it was warm instead of heading to my car and being stuck.

Several teachers were on after-school bus duty, so we talked about academic team competition the next day and lots of other little things that were going on at school,

when one of the teachers happened to mention, of all things, "THE CHICKEN!"

I was sort-of speechless because in my mind I was thinking, "Here we go. My day started with this chicken and now it's ending with this chicken."

She went on to mention that the kids had just finished a story about an eaglet who was raised with baby chicks, so the mom had brought the chicken as a little after-reading experience.

My mouth dropped, and I said, "I need to hear this story."

She went on to tell me about how this little eaglet had grown to be an eagle, but no one knew it could fly.

It walked like a chicken and ate like a chicken and in every way, ACTED LIKE A CHICKEN!

When it was full grown, someone said that it should fly because if was not of the earth but of the air!

So, they took the eagle to the top of a mountain, pushed it off, and when the wind caught its wings, IT FLEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish you could have seen my mouth.

I told this teacher, "You have no idea how I needed to hear that today."

As I drove home, I cried.

I knew God was speaking.

I was wanting to run and not grow weary, walk and not faint.....

and

God was saying, "Tammy, you are living as of the earth. You are of the air! I want you to fly!!"

Isaiah 40:26-31

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
"My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.