In 1981, in the Capitán Mountains of New Mexico, a hiking group including myself climbed to the top of Sunset Peak. It has an elevation of 9,000 feet. We reached the summit just before noon on a beautiful cloudless day in January. The view was spectacular!

Sitting there felt as if you could see the whole world. Perched atop Sunset Peak, we saw something so remarkable that I can still see it as clearly in my mind today as it was on that day. And since then, I have never seen anything as magnificent.

We watched in awe as four eagles soared below us with ease! The eagles' elegant moves were an awesome sight that I will never forget.

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is brewing long before it breaks? When a storm is eminent, the eagle will fly to a high spot and wait for the winds to come. This is how they respond to storms.

When the storm arrives, they set their wings so that the winds lift them up, high above the storm. And, as the storm rages below them, the eagle soars high above it, effortlessly gliding with ease.

What is fascinating is that the eagle does not escape the storm; the eagle does not suffer through the storm, or hope to survive. The eagle does not fly away from the storm. The eagle just simply uses the winds of the storm to lift itself high above the storm.

The eagle's response is to rise high above the storm on the very winds that brought the storm close.

At times in life we will all face storms. Sometimes we face small storms and other times we face big storms. But regardless, the storms of life do not have to overcome us. We can, if we choose to, rise above them. An eagle recognizes that a storm is coming and then responds by rising above it.

Pressures in life do not have to stress us out. Challenges we face do not have to discourage us. Set backs do not have to lead us to failure.

It's really not the storms in life that defeat us. It is how we respond to the storms that will determine the outcome. Just like the eagle, we can soar high above the storm.

Some people choose to run from storms. Others grit their teeth and hope to "weather the storm." And then, there are those who choose to respond to the storm by rising above it.

I remember as a small child hearing some pretty loud thunder followed by some heavy rain. I was afraid. I wanted to hide. But my mother, who had lived through many thunderstorms, reassured me that every thing was going to be alright. And even though I could still hear the thunder and rain, I trusted what my mother said. I was no longer scared. I was soaring above the storm.

God wants your life to be victorious, despite the pressures. He wants your life to be successful despite the challenges. He wants your life to be fulfilled despite the set backs. God is not in the failure business; He is in the success business.

So, when the storms of life come, look to Him for help and direction. Ask Him for guidance. Believe and trust Him to lift you high above the storm.

There's a verse in the Bible that says "those who trust in the Lord shall mount up with wings like the eagles; they shall run and not being weary; they shall walk and not faint."

We can soar with the eagles!

It's not the storms in life that defeat us. It is how we respond to the storms that will determine the outcome. Just like the eagle, we can soar high above the storm.

About the Author
Listen to one of Michael A. Verdicchio's Pep Talks at http://www.MikesPepTalks.com/christians2free.html