Proverbs 26:2
As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying..
They carelessly fly without direction or cause, and fall into the hunter's snare.
What I love about this particular proverb, and many others alike, is the medium through which this particular wisdom was discovered. Notice the analogy is of birds. Wisdom taken from birds can only come through one element… close observation!
I love to watch the graceful migratory flight of geese. They fly with such unity and determined purpose. However, have you ever seen a swallow fly? They are not graceful at all…but rather they fly in a chaotic pattern…pointlessly darting to and fro…suddenly changing directions from one way to another…as if without any rhyme or reason! The observation made here…is the danger of haphazardly and aimlessly wandering through life…without any cause, purpose, or vision! These are those who like the bird and the swallow, quickly become prey to the hunter’s snare! So lost in space that they take no notice of the dangers that lurk close by, and are easily devoured…because in going everywhere, they go nowhere…and by making a million turns in only a small circle of space…they become an easy target for any net!
Who are these people? How do they get caught up in such a tragic lifestyle? These are those that call themselves free…unhindered and unbound…doing their own thing…going their own way…free from responsibility…free from purpose…people without any cause or goal…other than the chaotic way in which they live…and the uncertain direction in which they fly!
How true it is that our lives are a direct result of the individual flight patterns we take in life. You cannot fly aimlessly through life and expect to ever gain any kind of freedom. How many people do we see every single day fall into some kind of snare in life, because they chose to haphazardly run around in circles, instead of pursuing a life of discipline and responsibility. Freedom comes only through faithfulness to a cause, focus upon a purpose, and long patience throughout the entire duration of your flight.