To Fly with Both Wings

April 19, 2025

My reflection from the afternoon walk

I am waiting for the sunny, warm spring days in Ontario. While walking today, I couldn't help but chant the same words over and over in my head:

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty..."

The birds were chirping like crazy - it was the best music for today as I looked around to spot signs of spring.

Have you ever watched a bird soar high above the earth, seemingly weightless, effortless? It doesn’t struggle to fly. It trusts its wings — both wings.

But what happens if one wing is weak, broken, or ignored? The flight becomes erratic, painful… or impossible.

We are not so different.

Between Earth and Sky

So many people I’ve met — and at times, myself included — live as though suspended between the past and the future. They are in motion, but not truly moving. Stuck in a state of “in-between.”

And perhaps the hardest part is… they believe this is living fully.

But tell me:

Would you reheat yesterday’s coffee and call it fresh?

Would you relive yesterday’s pain and call it peace?

The Wing of the Body, the Wing of the Soul

St. Hildegard of Bingen, mystic and healer, once said that

“the soul and body form a single harmony.”

One cannot sing the song of life alone. If we tend only to the soul, neglecting the body, we lose grounding. If we focus only on the body, the soul withers, restless and unheard.

Carl Jung echoed this in his own way. He believed that wholeness comes not from perfection, but from integration — from acknowledging every part of ourselves, even the parts we’ve exiled to shadow.

To fly, we need both wings:

One wing of flesh, rest, boundaries, food, tears, joy, intimacy.

One wing of spirit, silence, prayer, wonder, calling, presence.

Neither wing is sinful. Both are sacred.

In the Shadow of His Wings

In the Psalms, we read:

“Hide me in the shadow of Your wings” Psalm 17:8

“How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 36:7

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.” Psalm 91:4

To take refuge in God is not to disappear.

It’s to become more whole than ever before —

to let Him gather the scattered pieces of who we are, and return them to us, healed.

Harmony isn’t the absence of struggle. It’s when the war within you finally hears the same rhythm. A rhythm set not by fear or perfection—but by grace.

Harmony isn’t about everything fitting perfectly, but about trusting the Conductor? Letting Him weave your chaos into something unexpectedly beautiful.

What Is Harmony, Really?

Harmony is not stillness. It’s not silence.

Harmony is movement where nothing fights each other. Harmony is about being held together—by Someone who knows every note of your soul, even the ones you’ve tried to silence.

To live in harmony is to let your thoughts, your flesh, your longings, your soul, your memories, and your hopes move in the same direction — not perfectly, but honestly.

It’s letting God be the breath under both wings.

Are You Flying, or Just Floating?

Maybe it’s time to ask yourself:

• Am I giving space for both my soul and body to thrive?

• What part of me have I ignored in the name of “being spiritual”?

• What wing do I need to heal before I can truly fly?

Jesus didn’t say, “Float through life.” He said,

“I came so that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

That kind of life needs two wings.

A Prayer for Flight

Lord, teach me to fly with both wings.

Help me honor my soul without punishing my body.

Help me nourish my body without silencing my soul.

May I live fully — not in fragments, not suspended between what was and what could be — but here, now, whole. Under Your wings.

Amen.