Wings to fly

Growing up on a one-lane country road meant animals were simply part of life. Caring for them taught us responsibility, tenderness, and attention – but one lesson stayed with me more than all the rest.
When I was young, our parakeet, Pretty Boy, was never kept in a closed cage. He rode on our shoulders, followed us from room to room, and never tried to fly away. He seemed content – safe, loved, and at home.
Years later, as an adult, I had another parakeet named Eightball. Unlike Pretty Boy, he was never fully tamed. One evening, his cage door was left ajar, and he escaped. He could fly – but he couldn’t navigate his flight. Eightball didn’t know how to stop or change direction. He struck walls and windows in panic before I could catch him.
In that moment, something sobering dawned on me. In trying to protect him, I had unintentionally limited him. He had wings, but not the freedom – or the ability – to use them well.
Watching Eightball struggle revealed a truth that reaches far beyond a small bird. Love and care alone do not guarantee freedom. Sometimes, what feels like protection can quietly become restriction. God gives us wings – gifts, strength, and purpose – but the world and its temptations can clip those wings over time. What begins as something small or harmless can grow into habits that keep us grounded, unable to rise.
Eightball’s panic felt uncomfortably familiar. How often do we carry the gifts God has given us, yet struggle to use them well? We long for freedom, but fear, habit, or misplaced protection keeps us circling instead of soaring. Like that small bird, we may know how to move, but not how to navigate the open space before us. It’s a quiet reminder that having wings is not the same as knowing how to fly. For a flight to be life-giving, it must be shaped by wisdom and trust.
In Jesus, we can learn to soar on the wings of eagles (Isaiah 40:31). Through Christ, we are set free from whatever would hold us down. In our weakness, He strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), and when we are too weary to soar, He will cover us with His wings until we are ready to fly (Psalm 91:4).
Paul reminds us that Christ has set us free – not to return to what once held us captive, but to live unburdened by fear, guilt, or control (Galatians 5:1). To soar in Christ is to trust that His guidance will keep us steady, even when the winds change. In the light of Christ, we are free to soar to heights we never imagined.
After more than sixty years of loving animals, raising children, and watching grandchildren care for creatures of their own, I’ve come to understand this: love is not control. Sometimes the greatest gift we can give –just as our Heavenly Father gives us – is the freedom to soar.
Wherever you are in life – whether in a season of challenge, doubt, or quiet waiting – God is inviting you to spread your wings. He calls us to trust His guidance, to rise above fear, and to step boldly into the purpose and plan He has lovingly prepared for each of us. True freedom in Christ allows us to move with courage, grace, and hope.
He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. Psalm 18:19 And I say, ‘O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Psalm 55:6

Cheryl Mixon-Cruce is Pastor of Ochlockonee Bay United Methodist Church and Sopchoppy United Methodist Church.