Ready to Fly?

by Steve Klein

It is spring, and the birds around the Klein plantation have been busy building nests, laying eggs, and rearing young. We even have a nest full of baby birds in the wreath that hangs on our front door. But sadly, not all baby birds will make it to adulthood. This past week, I found two dead blue jays and a dead robin in the backyard – all young birds that had apparently left their nests before they were ready.

At this time of year, we also have a lot of young people who are graduating from high school and thinking about the possibility of leaving home eventually. It's all part of the natural process of growing up, and it's a good thing. But, it's important to be ready. Just as a little bird needs to be strong enough to learn to fly on its own when it leaves the nest, even so, a young person must have developed strong character if they are to make it on their own.

If a young person is anxious to leave home in order to be free to do what they want, commit sin when they feel like it, and not be bound by the rules of parents or the laws of God, that young person is not ready to leave. Take a lesson from the prodigal son. He wanted to leave. He thought he was ready. He selfishly demanded his father's financial support. And then he flew out of the nest and landed beak down in a pig sty of immorality and misery (Luke 15:11-32).

Young people are only ready to leave a godly home when they respect what has been taught to them there, and they are willing to use it to help them make their way in the world. In Proverbs 6:20-22, Solomon says, "My son, keep your father's command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck. When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you."

More importantly, the young adult who leaves the security of their childhood home must do so with the desire to rely on God daily. Rather than seeking opportunities to violate God's law and flee from His presence, getting out of the nest should motivate one to seek security in a close relationship with God. This approach to flying out of the nest virtually guarantees success. "Those who wait on 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 40:31).