4-10-22 No Clipping Allowed
Quote: “Those who love you don’t clip your wings. They add another feather so you can fly even higher.”
Do you have a tribe of people in your life that are your flock? You know…the ones that love you despite all your quirks?
Not so long ago, I remember seeing quotes like “Love your tribe hard.” and thinking, hmmmm. I wonder where you find your tribe? Am I going to find them at work? At the soccer field? At a PTO meeting? Online? And once I find them, how do I keep them? What if they find out how quirky I am and run away? Then what?!
Everyone wants to feel like they belong to someone or something. We drop our kids off at daycare and preschool and encourage them to have fun and make friends. We know that life is richer when we find people who accept us for who we are and want to keep us around. They say things like, “Hey, wanna hang out this weekend?” or “Want to get the kids together and come over for coffee?” It’s a powerful feeling to think that there are actually people out there who want to carve out time and spend it with us. It’s a pretty great feeling to be needed.
But you know what the real treasure is? Those people we find who are the “lifters”. These are really special people. And if you are lucky enough to find these kinds of people, hold them tight! They see your potential and pray for you to do big things. They see you spreading your wings and trying new things and become cheerleaders in your corner. They know that the stronger your confidence and feathers are, the more you are going to soar! They are the ones yelling, “Fly! You’ve got this!” as you fearfully flap your wings.
They love you. They believe in you. They make you stronger.
I have definitely fine tuned the kind of people I allow in my family’s life. I no longer just allow anyone to sit at the table of our life. Mark and I want our children to be around people and families that are trying to make the world a better place than when they entered it. They believe they aren’t just here to be takers but givers. They want to be a better of version of themselves and are taking steps to be others focused. No longer does everyone get direct access to our innermost thoughts and dreams and desires. They need to be around for the good, the bad, and the ugly. They can’t just show up when our feathers look good or if things look like they are going to work out. No, we want those that are there when we’re weak and when we’re strong. The whole enchilada.
No one in your corner should be clipping your wings when you were made to fly. This quote reminds me of the verse in Isaiah 40:31 that says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
How in the world are you supposed to soar and run and walk when someone is clipping your wings?!
God wants us to lean on him and those in your corner should be pointing you towards him! Surround yourself with those who speak the truth to you and do it in love. True love helps you obey God’s voice and take leaps of faith. And pretty soon you’ll be walking. Then one day you’ll be running. Then all of a sudden, you’re soaring!
God wants you to live your best life. Take a look around you and be sure you have people in your corner that truly want and care about your future. That’s who you want around you and your family. The lifters. No clippers allowed.
