I was scrolling through social media the other day when a picture stopped me.
It was a beautiful bird of prey standing on the ground, wings slightly spread, staring at what looked like a python.
I have no idea what happened before the picture was taken or what happened afterward, but the image stayed with me.
There is certainly something to be said for standing your ground. For being brave. For refusing to back down simply because something in front of you looks intimidating.
But there is also something to be said for recognizing danger and having the wisdom to leave before you are engulfed by it.
And as I looked at that picture, I couldn’t help but wonder…
How often do we do the exact same thing?
How often do we stand there staring at something we know isn’t good for us when we have wings capable of carrying us somewhere else?
Maybe it’s a relationship.
Maybe it’s a job that has been draining the life out of you for years.
Maybe it’s where you live, a friendship, a habit, a commitment, or even an old version of yourself that you’ve simply outgrown.
Sometimes the danger is blatantly obvious to everyone around us.
And if we’re being completely truthful, sometimes it’s obvious to us too.
Yet we stay.
We convince ourselves that maybe things will change. Maybe we can handle it a little longer. Maybe leaving would be harder than staying. Maybe we’ve already invested too much time, energy, money, or heart to walk away now.
And sometimes we’re simply scared.
Because taking flight sounds beautiful until you’re the one who has to leave the familiar ground beneath your feet.
Even when that ground isn’t good for us, at least we know it.
The unknown can feel terrifying.
Where will I land?
What happens next?
What if I make the wrong decision?
What if I regret leaving?
But what if the bigger question is:
What happens if I stay?
That bird had something the snake didn’t have.
Wings.
And sometimes I wonder if we become so focused on the thing we’re afraid of that we forget about the wings we’ve been given.
Our wings might look like courage.
Faith.
Wisdom.
Experience.
A friend who keeps reminding us of who we are.
A new opportunity.
A boundary we’ve finally learned how to set.
Or simply that quiet voice inside saying, It’s time.
Taking flight doesn’t mean you were weak.
It doesn’t mean you lost.
It doesn’t mean you couldn’t handle what was in front of you.
Sometimes taking flight is the bravest thing you can do.
And I think that’s an important distinction, especially as we get older. There are battles worth fighting and things worth standing our ground for. But maturity also teaches us that we don’t have to prove our strength by remaining in every battle we’re invited into.
We can choose peace.
We can choose health.
We can choose a different direction.
We can choose to fly.
So where are you today?
Are you standing on the ground staring that snake in the face, too scared to move even though somewhere deep inside you know it’s time?
Maybe you’re just beginning to spread your wings. You haven’t left yet, but for the first time you’re allowing yourself to imagine what life might look like if you did.
Or maybe you’ve already taken flight.
Maybe you’re looking back at something that once seemed impossible to leave and thinking, Thank goodness I finally made that move.
I’ve learned that sometimes courage means standing your ground.
But sometimes courage whispers something entirely different:
You have wings. Use them.