Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary,
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. –Isaiah 40:28-31
During my freshman year of high school, I chose tennis as my P.E. class. I loved tennis for several reasons: it was outside, I got to hit something and it was competitive. One day, however, it rained and we had to remain inside. Our coach took us to the Commons area for some indoor relay races. One race, in particular, involved two people from each team pulling their partner seated on a chair while holding on to a rope. I was first to pull my partner to the other side. I was 5’ and 115 lbs. My partner, a girl, was not. She was at least three times my size. I pulled as her as hard as I could with all my strength to get to the other side so we could switch places. I agonizingly got us there. Finally, I was able to take a seat and let her get us back to the finish line.
What a relief to be sitting while someone else did all the work! I sat down, got a firm grip on the rope, and prepared to enjoy the ride. However, I was totally unprepared for the force in which she took off. We made it to the finish line and won the race, but without the chair. I was so light I glided mid-air to the finish, landing on my rear with ropes in hand. Laughter erupted everywhere, our coach laughing hard with us. It was a great bonding moment with my class mates (soar rear and all!)
Life is similar to the race I described. Work, family, relationships and even our Spiritual Journey can sometimes seem so difficult, we lose faith and strength. When those times of powerlessness come along, sit down, relax and allow yourself to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God’s love will take over and you’ll soar like an eagle.
-Robert Fasol, Organist & Choir Master
