Soaring with the Thermals of Heaven

Rising Above Fear, Finding Purpose, and Soaring on the Breath of God

I didn’t realise how long I had been trying to fly with my own strength—until the moment I felt the unmistakable lift of heaven beneath me. This blog is about the story of that moment, when I discovered that soaring was never about effort… but all about surrender.

Coming back from a two-week mission trip on the peninsula of Placencia in Belize, I boarded a small aircraft at the Maya Island Air terminal to begin my journey back to Houston, Texas, where I was staying with a very dear friend. As I left behind the stretch between Seine Bight and Placencia—the thin line between poverty and paradise—I settled into my seat among ten other passengers, all complete strangers apart from one who was my friend from Texas. The little plane hummed to life as it prepared for the short, half-hour flight to mainland Belize.

About ten minutes into the flight, the aircraft hit turbulence. The plane bounced and dipped, then tipped its wings in quick side-to-side wiggles—sharp, jittery jolts like driving over a deeply rutted road. For several minutes we rode out the shaking, gripping armrests and steadying our breath, until at last the aircraft began to settle. A collective sigh of relief swept through the cabin.

It was in that very moment of stillness that the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart: “Learn to soar with the thermals of Heaven.” In an instant, it felt as though a portal had opened above me. My heart lifted into its pull, as if carried upward by an invisible spiral, soaring even while my body remained seated on the plane.

A rush of revelation poured over me—clear, strong, unmistakable. I felt vividly alive and profoundly connected. My spirit rose above the horizon and the vast Caribbean ocean beneath my feet, and I didn’t want to come back down. I was completely content to remain in that sacred place where my heart felt utterly close to God and totally free.

I felt weightless, lifted into a space where my spirit could rise higher without restraint, without pressure, without the weight of anything tethering me to my seat

Isaiah, a prophet in the Old Testament, wrote a profound promise in Isaiah 40:31, words of renewal and strength that rises beneath our wings when we wait on the Lord for a promise or for something deeply important to us. Waiting on the Lord is not passive; it is an active posture of trust and a steady reliance on God’s timing and His unfailing faithfulness. This blog anchors on the very words from Isaiah 40:31.

But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall rise up with wings like eagles;

they will run and not be weary;

they will walk and shall not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

The imagery of soaring on wings like eagles evokes a powerful sense of rising above the weight of life’s ups and down, lifting off from the ground of worry, fear or exhaustion that we often carry. Just as an eagle catches a thermals and ascends

effortlessly higher, this metaphor points to a divine strength that lifts us beyond our human limitations. It is God’s sustaining power that carries our weight, raising us to greater heights than we could never reach on our own.

In contrast to soaring, running speaks to those seasons of urgency and pressure—the moments when life pulls us in ten different directions at once. It looks like caring for our infirmed aging parents, juggling parents’ evenings, or squeezing multiple doctor’s appointments in a single week. In those times life can feel relentless, leaving us breathless and stretched thin. Does this resonate with you?

In those moments, our challenges demand quick, snappy decisions at a pace that feels faster than we can think or sustain. It’s like trying to keep every plate spinning in the air all at once. Life accelerates without notice or warning.

Walking reflects the slow, steady rhythm of daily living—steps of faith and perseverance, especially in seasons when we are waiting for answers to prayer. At times the waiting can feel like a lifetime of expectation. Yet these images of soaring, running, and walking portray a life empowered by renewed strength and vitality. They remind us that, with God, we are not merely surviving; we are thriving, moving through each season with endurance and grace.

Birds are created to fly. They don’t question why they were made for the sky—or how the wind will hold them, they simply spread their wings and rise. They instinctively live out their purpose, finding their destiny in the open air. With effortless trust in their design, they lift off and move into the life they were created for.

We are created with intention, purpose and divine calling. Psalm 139:16 reminds us that every one of our days is carefully considered and ordered. By whom you may ask? By God – the One who not only sees us and believes in us, but who empowers us to soar to greater heights when we place our trust in Him. He is the One who formed us in the secret, sacred depths of our mother’s womb.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, in the scrolls of heaven, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:16. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by the gentle, cupped hands of God—the God who sees not only who we are today, but who has always seen us, and who is continually shaping us into who we are becoming. He sees the secret and hidden things within us—the parts of our purpose still unfolding, the gifts not yet revealed, and the potential we have not yet discovered. Nothing about us is unknown to Him; He sees fully what we cannot yet see in ourselves.

Do we settle for less and doubt about who we truly are? Do we clip our own wings with doubt or whispers of fear -those inner voices that make us feel small or insignificant, or that shouts imposter when we dare to believe to dream higher? I know this struggle well. I believed in that lie most of my life -until now. Clearing the clutter from my mind and inviting Heaven’s clarity to fill my thoughts. I can feel the shift as peace settles where chaos once lived. I’m free to fly.

There have been seasons in my own life when doubt pressed hard against my chest, when I questioned my worth, my value, my calling and whether I truly had what it takes to rise. Times when fear tried to fold my wings before I ever had the chance to stretch them. Moments when I wondered if God really meant me when He spoke of purpose, destiny, and soaring to greater heights.

But even in those moments of questioning, God was patient with me. He met me in my hesitation, in the quiet corners of my insecurity, and whispered truth over me—"what if you fly?” A truth much stronger than the voice of fear that tried to silence me.

God whispers to us still: “Believe in the person you were always created to be, because that is how I have always seen you.”

Today, I stand in faith over fear.

Today, I choose truth, over lies

Today I choose faith over doubt

Today, I walk as the person

You have created me to be.

Today, I choose to fly.

When we understand our purpose, we define our destiny.

We are now coming into land within the closing passages of this blog, 'Soaring with the thermals of Heaven' -as we begin to see more clearly what the journey has shaped within us. Every landing is not an ending, but the beginning of something wonderful, exciting, new and beautiful. It is a holy stirring within us, an invitation to see from a higher place with a deeper perspective.

Learning to soar on thermals that we cannot see from the ground, we discover that we are carried by currents we did not create – currents our heavenly Father faithfully provides.

Can I encourage you, beloved, to look back and reflect how far you’ve come. Look how much you’ve grown. Don’t look back at what was -look forward to what is. Look upward toward the sky that still awaits you, inviting you to soar freely to even greater heights.

The eagle does not fear the ground beneath it, because it knows the sky is still its home.

It’s why I wrote this book—because I believe there is a higher dimension to explore in who we are and who our heavenly Father is. There is more to discover, more to awaken to, more to rise into. When we allow God to lift us above our limited perspectives, we begin to see the vast landscape of possibility He has always held over our lives. In that higher place, clarity comes, courage grows, and destiny unfolds with breathtaking beauty.

The capabilities and possibilities of the fullest potential God always had for you and me existed long before we were even a twinkle in our parents’ eyes. The full potential!

Let these final pages be your cliff edge-

take a deep breath, throw away your fears,

and fix your fearless gaze into your ordained promises.

Step forward with confidence that Heaven has gone before you, and with you right now, Preparing the winds that will carry you into everything God has written for your life. God has carried you this far, He has not finished creating the winds that will lift you again into your calling.

We are made for greater heights; we are shaped for higher thermals. We are created to rise on wings far stronger than the world could ever offer. Heaven’s voice still echoes your name, calling you to seek purpose and find destiny that has always been yours.

As the pages of this blog come to a close, the atmosphere around you shifts, close your eyes and feel it: the unmistakable lift within your being, the upward pull that has carried you through every valley, every storm, every uncertainty, every moment where you nearly surrendered hope. But this time, something feels different. Your faith starts to rise. The thermals lift not only your body, but also your spirit, your vision and your whole being.

Now rise higher and believe. You’ve got this! Every trial you had walked through now shimmers like a golden thread in a larger tapestry; one you had not noticed until this moment. The threads finally make sense. In the waiting, the wandering, the whispers of doubt and fear – all of it prepared you to fly high, to finally feel free.

As you soar in that heavenly space, the wind carries a truth you can now fully hear: You have always been made for this. You were always meant to Soar, to see a horizon painted with promise.

As you rise-

You are stronger, braver, lighter-

Soaring with the thermals of heaven,

and finally, gloriously free.

For the first time you do not have to strive, or to chase, or to be seen. Open your wings to their fullest stretch and realise that the journey was never about learning how to escape the ground. It has always been about learning to trust God to carry you beyond it. As you soar with the thermals of heaven.

Let's pray...

Father,

Help me to see the full potential of who I am—not through my own limited understanding, but through Your eyes, the eyes that have always known me completely.

You formed me with intention, you called me by name before I could even speak, and placed within me gifts still waiting to rise.

Help me to trust what You see in me even when I struggle to see it myself.

Help me to take flight, to spread the wings You have given me, to soar beyond fear, doubt, and comparison.

Release me from the weight of others’ opinions—from words spoken carelessly, from expectations that were never meant to define me.

Teach me not to live grounded in hesitation, but in confidence rooted in You.

Help me to find my thermal that is unique and designed just for me.

I see the blue, open sky before me—wide, endless, and full of promise.

Help me now to soar on the thermals of Heaven, to rise where You lead, to rest in Your strength when mine runs thin, and to fly boldly into all You have prepared for me. Amen!

Soaring with the Thermals of Heaven

Out now on Amazon.

A compelling invitation to rise above limitation, discover your God-given potential, and learn to trust the unseen currents that carry you higher.