Tag Archives: MaryBowen

Eagles’ Wings – Mary Bowen

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“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.” Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Why isn’t he flying back to his cage? His act is over, I thought anxiously.

I gasped along with the watching crowd as the bald eagle nearly grazed our heads, then climbed to treetop level. Is he escaping? I held my breath as he flapped his three-foot wings, glided smoothly over the lake, swooping down to the water. Skimming it, he angled back toward the sky, delighted to show us his stunts. Exultant in his freedom, the eagle wheeled and soared, making me yearn for such exhilaration. A few minutes later, though, I sighed in relief when he finally returned to his cage.

Woodward stars in the Callaway Gardens Raptor Show. We watched amazing maneuvers, but the first time Woodward landed on his perch, we saw that the tip of his beak overlapped itself. Caused by pesticide poisoning, this congenital defect makes him dependent on people for his survival.

Despite his need to be nurtured, Woodward broke free. In the same way, we long to escape from our cages – entrapments of sin and self-centeredness. Yet, just as Woodward finds freedom in dependence on humans, so we are liberated as we depend on God.

Just like Woodward inherited the beak deformity, we inherited a sin nature that cripples. Only God can break our bondage through His greater power in Jesus Christ. Chains of guilt and fear, shame and defeat, fall away as we learn to live under the control of God’s Spirit.

What bonds do you long to break free of? Soar, swoop and then angle back toward heaven. The Father will set you free.

Mary Bowen is a wife and mother, and has been published in several magazines and newspapers. She currently works as editor for the North American Mission Board. She is secretary of the Christian Authors Guild in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys two book clubs, church choir and aerobics. Read Mary’s poems and devotions

Garden of Grace – Mary Bowen

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“and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,” Isaiah 61:3

Oh, how she mourns him – too suddenly, too soon,
He left her alone while their garden still bloomed.
Like one of her flowers, she’s lovely, yet frail;
The grief of her loss still has strength to assail.

Yet what can be seen in her sorrowful state
Is a joy and a peace, yes, a love that is great;
A generous giving to family and friends,
A compassionate heart, as she listens and bends
Much like her flowers before a strong wind.

The storm of her grief, through relentless assault,
Has battered her garden – God, who is at fault?
Once a dear Friend, are You now a fierce Foe
Who takes such a treasure to leave such deep woe?

Her struggles of soul and anguish of heart
Are slowly transformed into bearing her part
In the ongoing mystery, the secret, the code
Of God’s sovereign choices, His inscrutable love.

Now with faith refined in a crucible of fire,
She stands even firmer, but altered and higher
To heaven, where unspeakable beauty awaits,
And she can finally join him in God’s loving estate.

Read Mary’s devotions and poems.Mary Bowen is a wife and mother, and has been published in several magazines and newspapers. She currently works as editor for the North American Mission Board. She is secretary of the Christian Authors Guild in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoys two book clubs, church choir and aerobics. Read Mary’s poems and devotions