Sometimes, when I’m sitting in my shed in the morning, a very confused bird will fly inside and immediately realize that she is in an unfamiliar place. She’ll race around, buzzing from corner to corner, slamming against the window, darting up and down and sideways at a dizzying pace. I just sit still, gratefully knowing that eventually she’ll find her way out the open door again to freedom. Last time this happened, it struck me that she is a picture of what it’s like sometimes for us to live on this earth. Life can be confusing; we can be painfully aware of our limits; our struggles can sometimes overwhelm us as we beat our wings against the walls and try to find our way toward freedom. It makes perfect sense that we would feel this way. We were made for Eden. We weren’t created to live in this broken world we find ourselves in. We were made for peace, and connection, for beauty, and freedom – our hearts long for this in so many ways. As many of us have experienced, this is what so often leads us to addiction. We take that longing and try to satisfy it with quick fixes, but it's never enough. It’s okay though. Our Maker knew how we would struggle in this fallen world, and is constantly speaking His peace to our wild-as-a-trapped-bird hearts: It's okay to long for paradise. It's what you were made for, and where you are going. For now, let Me be all that you need. I don't know about you, but I've never been able to kill my longings, or numb them long enough to feel complete relief. I am learning (verrrrrrry slowly) to move those desires to God. Whenever I catch myself wishing for what I don't yet have, I lift my heart to God and give thanks for what is...right here, right now. I remember His love and rest in His presence in the moment. I ask Him to help me redirect my desires toward what is healthy and holy. I find myself being satisfied by simpler things. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel a little freer in those moments, and I know it's gonna be alright.