God can teach us via eagles
TAMMY MCKEIGHAN Fremont Tribune
For years, Evan Nordstrom took photos of people and all sorts of activities for the Fremont Tribune.
I remember an incredible photo of a basketball player, who almost looked like he was bent backward in half, as he made a basket. I loved Evan’s photos of new graduates tossing their caps into the air and houses decked out in colorful Christmas lights.
But some of my favorite Evan photos have been of wildlife. I have a photo Evan took of two deer nuzzling each other. The scene of their sweet faces, lightly covered with flecks of snow, is a photo I cherish.
And then there are Evan’s photos of eagles.
After my husband, Chuck, died in 2013, Evan and his wife, Carolyn, sent me a sympathy card.
Inside were two 4-by-6-inch photos of eagles in flight. And with these photos was one of my all-time favorite Bible verses:
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“…They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
You can learn a lot from an eagle and the Bible mentions them more often than you’d think.
David, the shepherd kid who killed the giant Goliath, writes about eagles as he mourns the death of his dear friend, Jonathan, and King Saul.
“They were swifter than eagles; They were stronger than lions,” David writes. (2 Samuel 1:23)
God mentions the eagle in the book of Job.
“Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high?
On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place….”
In the book of Psalms, David talks about these magnificent birds when describing the goodness of God, “who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Recently, I contacted Joel Jorgensen, nongame bird program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
I wanted some eagle facts.
Are eagles really as fast as David describes?
Joel says because eagles are big, it takes a bit for them to get moving, but they’re swift once they get airborne. More than one internet source says a golden eagle’s maximum airspeed is 200 mph when diving for prey.
I remember Bible teacher and author Joyce Meyer talking about eagles flying up toward the sun.
Joel says they can fly as much as a few thousand feet in altitude.
Sounds pretty high to me.
Next, I wondered about eagles making their nests high in rocky areas.
Joel says bald eagles always nest in trees.
And in Nebraska, bald eagles almost always nest in cottonwood trees.
But golden eagles — and other eagle species in other parts of the world — regularly nest on ledges on steep slopes and cliffs.
So what does an eagle flying high toward the sun and making a nest on a cliff have to do with the Bible?
And how can we apply this to our lives?
Well, Joyce says there are times when we can feel weak, dry, defeated and discouraged. Maybe our dreams have blown up in our face. Somebody we trusted hurt us. Somebody we loved betrayed us.
That’s when we must go to Jesus.
“Jesus is our rock,” Joyce says. “He is the sun (son) of our righteousness.”
I believe that’s true. I remember when Chuck was in the hospital after his accident. I was in the hospital cafeteria reading my Bible, when I came across the story of the disciples in a boat during a storm.
Jesus came walking on the water to them.
At first, they were terrified. They thought they were seeing a ghost.
But Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
The words, “Don’t be afraid,” seemed to leap off the page and I knew God telling me not to be fearful.
In the time that followed, I would be heartbroken.
But I don’t remember being afraid.
Could it have been because I’d gone to the rock and felt the sun?
Joel also says eagles, like other large raptors, use ascending air masses to gain altitude and minimize energy expenditure.
“Usually, this occurs on sunny days when the sun warms air close to the ground and it begins to rise,” he says. “This rising air is often referred to as ‘thermals.’”
Do we need the thermal currents of God’s word — on a regular basis — to help us gain altitude in our attitudes and not waste precious energy by worrying?
Trusting God isn’t always easy. But when we put our trust in him, we can find peace.
Joyce also mentions an eagle sharpening its beak on a rock.
Joel describes this as feaking. This is when raptors clean their beaks on stones or other hard surfaces to remove debris from them and to trim them.
Bald eagles use feaking to keep their impressive beaks in prime condition.
So do we need to stay spiritually sharp by reading some of God’s word each day?
Joyce mentions something called, preening.
I looked that up. It basically means the birds remove dust, dirt and parasites from their feathers. Birds have a gland that produces an oily substance which they spread on each feather to help waterproof them.
Basically, they’re taking care of themselves physically.
Similarly, we must take care of ourselves spiritually by making the time to pray and read Scripture, asking God to speak to us.
I believe God can help make us a little water-resistant to the storms of life as we trust him.
Our God is in the business of renewal. He can help prepare us for all the flights of our lives — the tough ones, the smooth ones and all those in between.
Downstairs on my piano, I have Evan’s photos of eagles in flight.
They are beautiful and they remind me of the kindness of friends.
And of the mercy of God, who restores our strength and helps us to soar like an eagle.
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