Tag:

Eagle

Soar On Wings Like Eagles

by Corine Channell May 27, 2023

written by Corine Channell

Lately I have been thinking about (and noticing) my innate ability to fly and FLAIL at the same time.

LEARNING TO FLY

Ever see a video of a mother eagle shoving her baby bird out of the nest – that baby has never flown before, but is absolutely GOING TO LEARN on the way down – either it will be a crash landing or – it will fly.

I feel exactly like that. And initially I identified it as a bad thing. Like, who succeeds and fails in the same moment? Who walks in a straight line and trips over air? Who can come up with a stellar plan of purpose, and have that – “Oh look, a squirrel” distracting moment? Voila’. That would be ME.

And I criticized myself, beat myself up, called myself a fake and a failure. Until I remembered the baby eagle. It couldn’t fly until it NEEDED to fly. Flying was a kind of do-or-die moment for the baby bird. So all the way down and away from the safety of the mama eagle, it fell – wings flapping, turning upside down and sideways, and probably not even understanding what it was supposed TO do. Except from somewhere within, that great thing (instinct) God has uploaded in animals and humans, kicked in. Fight or flight. Do or die. Figure it out. Get it right. ALL the things you can label as that one thing that just happens.

WINGS LIKE EAGLES

The baby bird flails but then, it flies. I am waiting for my flight time and for the moment when my wings don’t feel so uncertain and fragile – when I finally get it right and I flail no more. Until then, (and here’s to hoping it’s not too far off) I will not quit. I will not stop flailing and fighting, knowing that God never intended for me to have a crash landing at the end of this struggle. He meant for me to have “wings like eagles” and to rise up, higher and higher, and to go from strength to strength. (Good to note that eagle wings were created for them TO soar. It is built into them.) And THAT is the kind of ‘wings’ WE have built into US.

Don’t despise the struggle – don’t hate the flail – keep your eyes on the end result. Flailing is NOT failing. You are learning to fly. And after flying, you will SOAR.

And I think the secret to a successful flight is understanding not to put your trust in your wings alone, but in the One who keeps you FROM falling to the ground, and the One who will enable you to soar above all the things that used to hold you down, and hold you back. Isaiah 40:31 – “But 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 faint.”

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Our Turbulent Flight On Eagle’s Wings

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer February 4, 2022

written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

If your past few years have been like mine, then you have spent a good amount of time asking G-D “why” questions. For most of us, the last couple of years seemed to have become much more intense: more people sick, more people dying, more people losing jobs or businesses, and more families in crisis of every kind imaginable. I cannot tell you the number of times I stopped what I was doing to look toward the sky and ask G-D, “Why?” It isn’t as if none of these things had happened before. Most of us have dealt with sickness, disease, death, and financial struggles in our past. But, it does seem as if these things are happening more often and closer together than ever.

I remember just a few months back when two of our family’s closest friends died within weeks of each other. One was one of my closest friends and the other was my wife’s closest friend. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were praying for them and yet they both passed from this world to the world to come. In my brokenness, I asked the question to G-D, “Where are You?”

During this season, my faith had always remained strong, however my vision had become distorted. I knew G-D was still there, but it was as if someone had turned the focus knob on my spiritual eyes. I had really begun to understand what Paul’s words meant in 1 Corinthians 13:

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly…

This week as I was reading the Bible, I came across a couple of verses that helped me refocus my vision that has, in a real way, become like a kaleidoscope. I was reading Exodus 19 when I saw these words:

3 Moses went up to God, and Adonai called to him from the mountain saying, “Say this to the house of Jacob, and tell Bnei-Yisrael, 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself.

These are the words that G-D instructed Moses to speak to the people of Israel just before they were to receive the Torah on Mount Sinai. As we read these words, they seem extremely encouraging. Just look at the phrase “I carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself.”

As we read those words, our minds imagine G-D swooping down from on high to scoop Israel up and carry them safely into the heavens while He destroys the Egyptian army. But is that what really happened? Yes and no.

If we read through the Exodus narrative in the Book of Exodus, it doesn’t seem as if G-D swooped down and scooped up Israel at all. What we read about is Israel’s slavery, the death of all male Jewish babies, Moses’s eventual arrival and proclamation: “Let my people go,” Pharaoh’s response by making things more difficult, the plagues of which the first three Israel endured along with the Egyptians, the Israelites having a rushed meal and running out of Egypt followed by the Egyptian army, the parting of the Sea, which they had to walk across, and then the wilderness journey, which at this point brought them only as far as Mount Sinai.

While we do see many miracles provided by G-D, most of us would not describe the above list as being scooped up and carried on eagle’s wings. In our minds, the concept of being carried on eagle’s wings carries with it the idea of soaring high above the world and its problems. Yet, even though we would not describe the above as being carried on eagle’s wings, that is the exact wording G-D used to describe His perspective of Israel’s experience from Egypt to Mount Sinai.

Because I know that G-D’s perspective is always correct, as I read these verses, I allowed the words to begin to refocus the lens of the eyes of my heart. Suddenly, I understood the words of Psalm 23:

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me: Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

The more I meditated on these verses, the more into focus the events of the past few years became. I began to understand the answer to my Why, and it became clear to me that the answer to “where are you?” was that G-D had never left. He was carrying me on wings of eagles, just as He carried Israel all those years ago. He didn’t carry them out of, or over, their problems. He carried them through them, just as He was and is carrying me and you through, not over, the tragic events in our lives.

The answer to my “why question” was also made clear when I remembered that things became progressively and speedily worse for the Children of Israel just before they were delivered from Egypt through the blood of the lamb. We all know that the Bible tells us that things will get worse as the day of Yeshua’s return approaches. We must not allow ourselves to become overwhelmed as we watch the Scriptures become fulfilled in front of our eyes. Rather, we must remember that no matter what is happening around us, G-D is carrying us on eagle’s wings, bringing us to Himself.

February 4, 2022 0 comments

Faith

“I Forgive You” – 3 Words that can Change Everything!

by Elizabeth Pitman October 15, 2018

written by Elizabeth Pitman

‘I Forgive You’ – These 3 Words Can Break Down Walls, Change Atmospheres, and Heal Relationships

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:)

Three words can change the course of a person’s life: “I forgive you.” There is something so freeing in internalizing and vocalizing these words—walls break down, the atmosphere shifts, and relationships can heal through the power of God. Days or maybe even years of haboring unforgiveness are released as the anger, resentment, and bitterness loses the control that it once had in a person’s heart. At some point in our lives, we all have or will experience the hurt of rejection or mistreatment by others. If we can have an honest, transparent conversation, it can be a daily dying of self to forgive those that mistreat us, especially when the wound goes deep.

One reason we may have a hard time letting go of an offense is that we may think it excuses the person’s behavior. Forgiveness does not put a stamp of approval on someone’s wrong actions. It releases the offense so that our hearts can remain soft and tender before the Lord. Although there may be times God shows us we need to walk away from unhealthy situations or relationships, we can still forgive the offender(s) through the power of God as we move forward in obedience. It is choice…A choice that God can help us make and strengthen us to do.

Forgiveness is Like an Eagle

A beautiful and breathtaking image of forgiveness is an eagle in flight. This majestic creature soars with wings fully extended, as it lets the wind currents propel it upward. The bird looks almost effortless as it glides through the air with such grace. It is inspirational. Unlike the majority of birds which fly away from storms, eagles go directly towards them and utilize the wind currents.

The eagle flies the highest when it faces a storm head on and uses those winds to its advantage. We as believers can learn from this image and allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to help us “rise above” the circumstances that we face and the hurt that we may feel. When we release the emotions and the unforgiveness that weigh us down, God can help us fly higher and go farther than we have ever dreamed.

Joseph: Forgiving the Unforgiveable

Just look at the life of Joseph. After the mistreatment and the rejection he endured from his own brothers and the false accusation/imprisonment by Potiphar’s wife, this man of God chose to forgive. He endured and overcame with the help of the Lord, and God promoted him as second-in-command to Pharaoh. When Joseph finally saw his brothers face-to-face, he was able to say to them with all sincerity, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20). Like Joseph, whether the people who mistreat us apologize or not, we can lay the offenses at the feet of Jesus, move forward, and know that He is working on our behalf.

As we come to the place where we realize we need to release our hurt and forgive, God gives us reminders in His Word to enable us to “rise above”:

1) Focus on the example of Jesus.

He willingly died for us, so that we could have the opportunity to have eternal life. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) This verse is an incredible reminder of the love that He has for mankind. When we struggle to forgive, we must remember that Jesus forgives us. The Lord does not bring up our past mistakes and remind us of our failures, He casts our sins as far as the east is from the west when we repent from our sins (Psalm 103:12).

2) Pray for those who mistreat you.

Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” It increases spiritual maturity to take the higher road. One example is the biblical figure, Job, a godly man of integrity. Even though his friends questioned whether he had sinned against God because he had lost everything, Job still prayed for them. “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10)

3) Be a peacemaker.

Being a peacemaker and a forgiver go hand-in-hand. The Bible says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 5:18) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Rise Above

When we have a higher perspective like that of the eagle, we realize that although the Lord does not condone evil or wrong actions, He can miraculously turn it around to not only strengthen us but to use it for our good and His glory. As we realize that our Heavenly Father cares deeply about the pain we feel and that He can heal our wounds, we can release the offenses to Him. God’s strength can help us “rise above” like the eagle and soar over the circumstances we face into the destinies He has planned for us. Let’s not be weighted down, friends. Let’s encourage each other to “fly high” through the power of the Holy Spirit and “be free.”
“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

October 15, 2018 0 comments