Several years ago, pelicans began to appear around Lake Winnebago. Now they nest in spring in a small pond the lake feeds into, with the result that a number can be seen from time to time flying over the lake.
I sat out on one of the bench swings along the edge of the lake yesterday afternoon enjoying the sun glinting off the ripples int he lake, the sounds of the birds and the slight rocking motion of the swing. As I sat, a pelican appeared over the lake alternating between bursts of energetic flapping of its wings and beautiful long glides.
I love that image and what a great metaphor for us. It seems to me an important part of discernment is knowing when we need to be energetically flapping our wings and when we need to glide. If we are constantly engaged in a flurry of activity, we’ll burn out and get nowhere. But nor can we simply spend all of our time running on past efforts.
When to flap our wings….and when to glide.
(This is not my picture – I couldn’t get a clear enough shot – but it is a good likeness of what I saw.)
Creo en Dios! 