Flying To New Heights

 If I could have only one superpower, it would be to fly. To soar through the clouds. To travel to places never discovered.  I guess that’s why I admire eagles so much. I learned some things this past week about the eagle, and I think we all could learn some valuable lessons from this royal creature.

Lesson #1: Without challenges, there can be no change. A young eaglet must be taught the necessities of survival at a very early age. The mother, once the provider of food, stops feeding the eaglet, and instead teases the young bird by passing overhead with a kill in her talons. In doing so, the young eaglet flaps her wings, mimicking her mother, and flies a few inches into the air, trying to snatch a bite of food. Sometimes, the mother must force an eaglet to fly and leave the familiar nest. The eaglet will fall and flutter all the way to the ground, usually landing unsteadily, but landing all the same. God may teach us in much the same way. We must learn to leave our comfort zones and step out into the world.. The lessons the Lord teaches us may poke, prod, and push us to our breaking point, but the miraculous thing is that we always land on our feet.

Lesson #2: Go higher. Did you know that when an eagle gets sick or needs to heal a part of his body, the majestic creature flies as high as he can go in the mountains? Once he finds a sunny spot on the rocks, he lies in the sun, allowing the sun to literally sweat out the toxins in his body. When an obstacle arises that seems to put the eagle out of commission, he doesn’t bow out and allow the trial to get the best of him. No. He goes higher. How many times have you thought that nothing could go right in your life? Every day seemed to be one filled with more stress, more worries, and more angst. I have felt that way, too. But, God doesn’t want us to give up on ourselves or on Him. We have to keep flying higher to our spiritual hospital, where we can lie out in the sun and allow God to heal us from the inside out.

Lesson #3: God likes to dance. When an eagle finds a prospective mate, the courting process begins. It is one of the most beautiful spectacles of love. The female will do a daring dance for the male, alluring him with her ability to fly high and do rollercoaster twirls. At the perfect moment, the male flies in and locks talons with his future mate. The lovebirds spiral downward toward earth, indicating their desire for each other and demonstrating their unique ‘til death do us part’ vows. Both refuse to let go until just before the pair hits the ground. They soar together into the air, only to dance to another tune. God, too, watches us, waits for us, and relishes our “life dance.” He sits back and enjoys the music we make with our lives, and if necessary, He falls with us, only to carry us to greater heights.  I guess I don’t need to have any superpower after all. I already have God.
-April Ebbinger
April is a journalist in the Chattanooga area
Aprilme12@aol.com