Soar-Wallow

Carl Sandburg said "There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud." We are all so divided. Why do some people seem to let their internal eagle control and others seem to let their internal hippos control? Most of us have periods of eagle control and periods of hippo control.

Many times, especially as women, it is the relationships we are in that control us. I have had bad relationships which quenched my spirit and resulted in me being a hippo - for years. I have also had good relationships which encouraged the eagle in me - that made me a little better than I normally was.

Meberg writes that many women try to avoid relationships because we end up getting caught in bad ones, which leads to this hippo behavior. Yet, we are created by God to be relational. We cannot avoid relationships.

Instead, we need to "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." The scripture does not read "Transform yourself into a new person ..." It reads "Let God transform you." I have never noticed this small detail before. I have been familiar with this scripture for a long time but have always treated it as I need to change the way I think in order to become a new person. Meberg says that we have to partner with God to allow this transformation to occur. I think I have been trying to transform myself, and not letting God play a role in it.