*I teach elementary kids, so everything I do has to have a bit of entertainment value to it in order to keep their attention. I tried singing and dancing, but that just made them look at me funny. Every February, I teach a unit on America and American symbols to go along with President’s Day. The first symbol we study is always the American Bald Eagle. I usually show pictures and videos of eagles as we read about them and then we work on our various activities. This year I came across a webcam overlooking an eagle nest in California. We watched it for a few minutes and found that there were actually two eagles living in the nest. The kids thought it was really interesting, so I pulled up the site again the next day.
I was happy that the kids wanted to check in on the eagles, but to be fully honest…I was really the one who wanted to watch! They were just beautiful and majestic and the webcam gave me a “bird’s eye view” of their day-to-day life. I became quite obsessed with those birds!
On the third day of off and on watching, I discovered that one of the eagles was sitting on an egg! No wait…two eggs…no THREE eggs! Seriously? I was more than hooked. Our eagle lesson was complete, and we had moved to the next lesson, but we were going to stick with these beautiful creatures and see what happens.
Not only was the view from their nest absolutely beautiful, but the love and care between those two eagles was something every human should strive to have for each other. They had true conversations when one would come back home after being away for a few hours. They took turns bringing home dinner, cleaning the nest and egg sitting. Using their powerful wings, they protected their babies from anything that could potentially cause harm. They had a relationship built on mutual respect and I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. God’s love and protection over us was sweetly represented in the love these eagle parents gave each other and their young.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. — Psalms 91:4
I started reading the chat conversations for the webcam site and found that in a couple of days we would be on “pip watch”! Pip…short for pipping…when the baby inside the egg starts to crack its way out into the world. Well OK then, I was about to be on pip watch, too!
Sure enough, in a couple of days, we saw a little crack in the shell. And by “we” I mean the 50,000 plus people watching this webcam from all over the world. The crack turned into a small hole, which turned into a larger hole. Then before I knew it, the next morning mama eagle stood up and I saw the first little gray fuzzball!
The same thing happened for the second egg…crack, little hole, bigger hole, fuzzball! It took about four more days and the third little miracle knocked its way out of its shell and joined its siblings. Mama and Daddy eagle were amazing. Each took turns taking care of the babies with perfect timing and beautiful gentleness. Those babies…those gray fuzzy bobbleheads…were so sweet and wobbly! They were so vulnerable and helpless.
Something I couldn’t help but notice and thought was so wonderful was that those brand-new baby eagles already knew who to look toward for comfort and safety. When they were hungry, they knew they would be fed. When they were cold, they knew who they could count on to warm them. When danger appeared, they knew who was going to protect them. Even though one, two, or at times all three might get turned around for a minute, they figured it out and were able to face the one that had what they needed.
We as humans can easily feel that same vulnerability and helplessness. We may feel that something needs to change in our lives, so we try to get out of whatever is holding us in that undesirable spot. Where we are or what we’re doing might feel comfortable at the moment, but it’s just not serving its purpose anymore. We might start making little changes and trying to break out of what is holding us back. It may be tough, and it will probably take a while, but we keep working to get ourselves to a new place in life. We might get to a point where we feel tired of trying and just want to give up. Then…all the sudden…
Whew…we did it! We’re out. OK…now what?
If we try to figure things out all on our own, we’re going to just sit there all wobbly, not knowing which way to look and falling over all the time. OK…maybe not the falling over part, but if we did do that, we wouldn’t be nearly as adorable as those babies! Ugh…they are just so stinkin’ cute!
Fortunately for us, we have a God who is right there waiting with wide open arms. He realizes how hard we have worked to get out of our place of comfort, and he knows we might be feeling a bit overwhelmed and vulnerable in this new area of life. Don’t worry about it…pray about it! Talk to God and tell him your fears. Share your insecurities and your wonders. Trust in God and he will renew your strength and help you overcome the challenges you may face.
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. — Isaiah 40:31
It’s amazing to think that these tiny, fuzzy, wobbly, helpless creatures will eventually turn into strong, magnificent birds that will stretch out their wings and soar high above the ground below. Because they know exactly who to turn to and where to fully put their trust while they are so vulnerable, they will gain the strength they need to grow and face life’s challenges. Before they know it, they will mount up and soar higher than they ever thought possible. There are so many life lessons resting on the little wings of eagles.
***The webcam site I follow is FriendsOfBigBearValley.org in California. My pictures in this blog story are screenshots I took while watching the video feed. This webcam is from a non-profit educational site dedicated to protecting and preserving Big Bear Valley. Go take a look!***
The eagle metaphor is right-on for our lives and the way we try to manage them. The eaglets are defenseless and rely on another to provide for their every need. As new-borns and later as youngsters, we too, were dependent upon others for our needs. As the eaglets grow and mature they eventually leave the the nest and put their survival entirely upon God. He provides for their every need, and unknowingly, they rely upon Him. This is where we alter our course from these magnificent creatures. As we mature we tend to depend upon ourselves to make tough decisions about life or the directions we should go, stumbling over this way or that, becoming frustrated with where we are in life. And, all the while, God is waiting on us to turn to Him. Once we do, with all our heart, He will direct us upon the right path at the right time.
The eagle metaphor is right-on for our lives and the way we try to manage them. The eaglets are defenseless and rely on another to provide for their every need. As new-borns and later as youngsters, we too, were dependent upon others for our needs. As the eaglets grow and mature they eventually leave the the nest and put their survival entirely upon God. He provides for their every need, and unknowingly, they rely upon Him. This is where we alter our course from these magnificent creatures. As we mature we tend to depend upon ourselves to make tough decisions about life or the directions we should go, stumbling over this way or that, becoming frustrated with where we are in life. And, all the while, God is waiting on us to turn to Him. Once we do, with all our heart, He will direct us upon the right path at the right time.