Falling and Flying

I had never noticed the simple fact before – yet I knew it was true. It was so plain to see. The bird has to be falling continually in order to stay aloft.

Last evening while I sat in the bleachers watching my Grandson play baseball this simple fact hit me. There in front of me was a large sea gull beating its wings across the baseball diamond from First Base to Third - over the heads of the players down below. As he traveled in front of me his movement up and down was so evident. Each beat of his wings pushed him upward with a shot of speed. Each time he fell he used the falling to increase his speed.

When he held his wings steady with no beating – he was descending. At that time he did a little trim thing using the head winds to keep him airborne. In this case it was resistance head on that kept him going.

Not far away were a few sparrows playing tag with each other. They flew in a similar fashion. But instead of steady beat of their wings it was with a small burst of powerful, frantic flapping of their wings…then a holding of their wings in and a sudden controlled drop. Their flight path from the side was also an up and down motion gaining speed as they shot across the path ways. A long fight was constantly up and down – using the fall to increase their speed…and their wings to glide downward… flap furiously and then glide…

I know…I know…only Lincoln would ponder this kind of thing in the middle of a great baseball game where his Grandson’s Team won 14 – 2!

As I sat thinking of this of falling and recovery and falling again with more recovery…added to that the great advantage that a strong head wind gives…flight was only possible with opposition and difficulty.

As I sat pondering this I was looking back on my own life. Packing books all day made me think long and hard of what has happened to me over the 45 years of working. I have experienced thousands upon thousands of times of falling. Added to this, are the almost constant head winds of problems and resistance that has come at me…for not 45 years – but rather 64 years. There was nothing easy about it!

But without the falling factor and the strong head winds I could have never flown. My life would pretty much be grounded. I would still be in a nest waiting for someone to feed me…a baby forever! And the really important thought was that I learned how to use the “falling” and the “head winds” to stay up there. Actually that was God’s great plan for me…. “fall a little – rise a lot”….The “FAL-RAL factor”….Fly – Fly – Fly – Fly!

Good flight is a good control of the constant descent…the constant falling.

Last evening the sea gull and the sparrow showed their ability again and again – until it dawned on me! I fly because I fall and because there is opposition – good strong opposition!

After all these years the winds of opposition have increased a little as retirement comes upon me. The income changes and the costs stay the same – or even rise. The weight of the potential falling is now greater – at least in the forefront of thinking. “What will happen next!?” is a good falling thought… sinking thought….and opposition thought…oh boy!

Right now I am stretching the same old faith that I have lived on so long – the wings of faith. And guess what? They still work…the falling/sinking feeling… suddenly is changed into flight…and the old wings still work.

In fact I can hear the young guys as I swish through the sky…. “Look at that OLD GUY GO! I wish I could fly like that!”

If you young guys only knew…falling is good…so is the head wind… because just over the field… past Third Base is someone that has dropped a French Fry… and I love French Fries… of any kind… and well it is just what sea gulls do best… THEY HAVE TO FLY!

The idea of a sea gull walking from First Base to Third Base is silly in a fast moving baseball game… is silly… so….Fly – Fly – Fly – Fly!

~ Murray Lincoln ~