This Page

has been moved to new address

Flying with Jesus

Sorry for inconvenience...

Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service
Faith Imagined: Flying with Jesus

Faith Imagined

Alisa Hope Wagner: Christian Writer

November 14, 2010

Flying with Jesus

The woman saw Jesus' face amongst the distant waves and heard His call. She gripped the wooden side of the boat and flung her legs into the dark abyss below. Sprays of water splashed the side of her face, and her legs tried to adjust to the movement underfoot. The finer muscles in her body worked to keep her balanced, and they strained from the rolling current that sought to knock her down.

She looked out into the dark, and the face of the One she loved glowed through the black. She walked toward Him, trying not to look away, but her eyes needed to focus on her feet. She was learning to walk again by faith, and it took all of her concentration. She took several steps, scanned the night for the light, then continued further away from the boat. She couldn't look back; she knew she would fall if she did.

The light seemed to change direction several times, but it could have been the waves pushing her away. She searched for His face again and again, and she continuously altered her course. Was she going in circles? She stopped for a moment and scanned the horizon. The boat disappeared behind the shadows, and she desperately searched for the light. It was gone. She cried out, but the wind swept her voice into the void.

She felt something nudge her from within. She couldn't see it or hear it, and she wasn't sure she should trust it....but she had no choice. She allowed the pull to guide her, praying that it was Truth. Whatever it was, it was not of this world, and it was difficult to absorb its nature. But it burned inside her; and as she followed its lead, she lifted her eyes and allowed them to search through the darkness.

She persevered with hope, but her legs began to shake from exhaustion. Her arms grew tired from grasping through air. And her eyes strained from sifting through the emptiness. She could no longer walk; she wanted to relax her body and slip into the sea. The current seemed inviting, willing her to stay idle in its caress. But the prompting in her Spirit intensified, and it compelled her forward. Eyes closed and body fighting to continue, she allowed the Spirit in her to guide her.

Suddenly, she felt excitement swell in her chest. She opened her eyes and saw Him -- Jesus! She pushed her legs and ran, gaining momentum as her arms sliced through the wind. Unblinking, her gaze stayed on His face. She wouldn't lose Him this time. The waves blocked her view, but only for a moment. The Spirit inside of her willed her onward and while her feet kicked, water sprinkled around her like rain.

Jesus reached out for her, and she dove toward him, clasping her arms around His ankles. The lower half of her body sunk into water, but she kept her chin above the current, holding tightly to her Savior. She made it; she was safe. She could stay at His feet forever and be content. She rested and allowed her body to sway with the water. After a time, she felt Jesus move His feet, so she looked up.

"Get up, my daughter," He said.

"I can't, Jesus. I gave You all I had trying to get here. There's nothing left in me. I'm done."

"There's a well-spring inside of you. Get up, and I'll show you."

The woman held on to Jesus' feet for a moment longer. He expected too much. It was a miracle she had gotten this far. She would get up and show Him her weakness. She let go of His feet and gripped the current. She pulled herself onto her knees and felt the waves spiral beneath her. Jesus reached down His hand and lifted her to a stance. Her legs mimicked the flow, and her body balanced to the rhythm of the sea. Jesus let go of her hand, and she felt secure by His side.

"This is easy, Jesus! I'm standing as If I were on solid ground!" she said.

Jesus smiled. "You are on solid ground."

"What do we do next?" she asked.

"Follow me," Jesus answered, and He lunged back and sprang into the air.

The woman watched Jesus fly into the midnight sky. She felt the pull inside of her beckon her to Him.

"I can't fly!" she yelled out.

"I will teach you," she heard. "You will learn by faith. I have a life not bound by limits prepared for you. Will you trust me?"

She looked down at the water and moved her legs confidently with the tide. Walking on water was no longer a challenge. She looked back up and saw the glow of Jesus skimming the air. She knew learning to fly would be harder than she could imagine, but excitement filled her Spirit with anticipation. It would be worth the sacrifice. She stepped back and dug her toes into the water. She directed her eyes toward the sky and prepared her muscles for the leap.

"Tell me to fly with You, and I will," she whispered.

"Fly with Me!"

She jumped with all her strength.


Labels: , , , , , ,

32 Comments:

Blogger Kim@stuffcould.... said...

This was a captivating post, I have been like this woman. Maybe all sink into the water and need Jesus. I do, of course.
kim

9:46 PM  
Blogger vonimoller said...

listen well:
B.E.A.U.TIFUL!!!!!!

10:05 PM  
Blogger Tea with Tiffany said...

love this...i love anything about flying with Jesus.

it's captivating

such a great visual and reminder of where our hope and faith are found

in Christ alone

thanks you

11:26 PM  
Blogger The Unknowngnome said...

I like the idea that one has to learn to walk on water before one can fly, it's kinda' like learning to crawl before learning to walk.

You were a bit poetical with "voice into the void". Very nice.

2:37 AM  
Blogger Sherrie said...

Alisa, so powerful. You have spoken my dream. Anywhere, anyhow, anyway, to do anything, as long as it is with Him. I am so foolish. Why so hard to trust what He asks of me? He knows what I can and what I will do. Praise God, praise the Lamb and the Spirit. Glory to the God of all. Glory to God and His mercy and grace upon us.
Thank you Alisa, for faithfully pointing us to Him.
Sherrie

5:48 AM  
Blogger Jean said...

What a captivating story. Truth beautifully written.

Jean

7:24 AM  
Blogger My Mad World said...

What a powerful story Alisa! I loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

7:50 AM  
Blogger MTJ said...

Hi Alisa,

Thank you for sharing this post that speaks to faithfully trusting our Lord. This is both imaginative and inspiring.

I would like to think that were I to be in His presence and He said, "Fly with Me!" -- I would jump with all my strength.

This post has also given me another thought. Even though I can't see Jesus, I have His Word, speaking to me. Will I do as He says with all my strength?

Blessings and peace.

MTJ

9:48 AM  
Blogger Joanne Sher said...

Oh, Alisa. This is absolutely, positively BEAUTIFUL and powerful. So glad I stopped by here.

11:00 AM  
Blogger Krista said...

Alisa,

thanks for his encouraging post!

krista

1:30 PM  
Blogger Carol said...

Thanks for your comment at the Cafe. Alisa, this post was incredible. Compelling. I couldn't stop reading. You took me there. You have a gift, my friend.

2:06 PM  
Blogger Together We Save said...

This was a wonderful post.... thank you for sharing!!

2:23 PM  
Blogger Thoughts for the day said...

Beautiful... a journey of faith and trust and taking baby steps and learning to reach out not knowing what is next.

6:06 PM  
Blogger Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Beautiful!

9:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fly - It certainly has been a season where I am getting those flying lessons! Faith certainly brings grace to challenges - beautiful grace! Have a blessed week!

10:40 PM  
Blogger Teresa said...

Alisa....this is so beautifully written...every descriptive word took me to that place of which you wrote about...praise God for His creativity that flows through your writing! I desire that my eyes stay focused on Him! Thank you for the beautiful reminder!
~ Teresa

10:59 PM  
Blogger Sharon said...

Oh Alisa! This was beautifully written. What a delightful, personal twist you have put on the story of Peter walking on water. I was in the moment - you painted such a vivid picture.

It's hard getting out of the boat. The sea is very tumultuous. I wrote something on my blog on Sunday about feeling "life queasy" - that feeling when everything is unsteady, uncertain - like what we feel on a boat.

But oh, if we can only keep our eyes on Jesus! The Light, the Beacon, the Sure Solid Rock!

I want to fly...

Thanks for sharing this lovely story - GOD BLESS!

11:49 PM  
Blogger Shauna Renee' said...

Alisa,

As always, God speaks to me through your word. My body wanted to stay in bed this a.m., but that still small voice said "No. I have something better." I rarely turn my computer on before going to work because I'm afraid I'll become caught up and not watch the clock. Sister, this piece of prose has taught me a huge lesson today! Thank you for listening to His voice and sharing what He has to say through you.

Have a blessed day!
Shauna

6:02 AM  
Blogger Jennifer Farris said...

Alisa, this is a beautifully written piece! It blessed me today. I saw your link on twitter yesterday and bookmarked it to come back and read later..because I, too, love the thought of flying with Jesus. I had a dream about that very thing a while back and wrote about it here: http://thefarriswheel.blogspot.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

Thank you for sharing your gift of writing!

2:01 PM  
Blogger Connie said...

"There's nothing left in me. I'm done."

"There's a well-spring inside of you."...and then He lets us fly with Him...oh how I love this!Thank you friend for sharing your vision.

7:40 PM  
Blogger Bernadine said...

Alisa, this is so beautiful! I love this part,

"Walking on water was no longer a challenge. She looked back up and saw the glow of Jesus skimming the air. She knew learning to fly would be harder than she could imagine, but excitement filled her Spirit with anticipation. It would be worth the sacrifice."

This encourages me to not settle for where I am now but to continue to strive to get to the next level in Him.

7:47 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Two thoughts came to my mind: 1.) With Jesus Christ, anything is possible! 2.) When we lay our burdens at The Cross, we sometimes get into trouble when we go back and pick them up again. This is a beautiful post to begin my day and I so enjoy my visits here! Have a great day, Alisa!!!

9:40 AM  
Blogger Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Alisa -

Wow! You hooked me from the beginning and never let go. What an awesome story!

Blessings,
Susan :)

7:54 PM  
Anonymous Renee Ann said...

Love this post!

3:25 AM  
Blogger Wanda said...

Alisa, this story really drew me in and I could so parallels to my own journey with Jesus.

7:03 AM  
Blogger Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Beautiful.

4:48 PM  
Blogger Michelle said...

Beautiful story of how He is always calling us to higher levels of faith in Him!

10:49 AM  
Blogger Dontmissyoursunsetlady said...

Beautiful writing! I often try to think of how I was a Caterpillar, and because of Christ I am now a butterfly!

7:21 PM  
Blogger Glory to God said...

Alisa -

What a beautiful write. You certainly capture our struggles, our weaknesses, and our hope.

One thing we lose sight of is that in our pursuit, Jesus is giving us exactly what we need to follow. He gives us the strength, will, and even faith to make that journey. More than that, He gives us Himself through His Spirit!

You have a tremendous talent in your writings. Your passion shows as you write. Keep up the good work!

Have a great weekend. God bless!

10:57 AM  
Blogger lioneagle said...

Hi Alisa -

I enjoyed reading this. Thank you. Indeed the words here carried me.

In particular, I love the phrase, "sliced through the wind..."

8:22 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This kind of faith is revealed to me by the parents of children with cancer whom I have worked with. With Jesus, we can do all things! Amen!!

10:14 PM  
Blogger Jamie said...

Great writing...I was right there in the water. I so want to be there. loved it.

9:24 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home