Be an eagle, not a chicken

I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone. Yes, he alone is my Rock, my rescuer, defense and fortress. Why then should I be tense with fear when troubles come? (Psalm 62:1-2)

Joyce Meyer says, "The eagle has no fear of adversity. We need to be like the eagle and have a fearless spirit of a conqueror." As you might imagine, standing 'silently' in the midst of situations where you can be pretty apprehensive or that evoke the 'fight or flight' response is doggone hard. While fear has a 'paralyzing' effect in most of us, we experience and immediate 'ramping up' of all those stress hormones that make us ready to bolt. Adversity comes our way, and we just don't know what to do with it. Is that really true? Don't we know we are supposed to take it to the Lord and allow him to show us how it is to be dealt with? Yes, we 'know' that, but do we actually believe it and stand firm in it when that adversity is 'tap, tap, tapping' at the door of our hearts and minds?

Tense with fear - that pretty much describes what those stress hormones manage to do to us just about every time we face something we are unfamiliar with, or that presents a challenge bigger than we think we can handle. The mind and body go into overdrive to convince us we are about to be eaten alive! The eagle has no fear of adversity - what do you think that means? Eagles are pretty much known to be the 'king' of birds everywhere. Throughout scripture, they symbolize strength, power, and authority. As an American, I know the eagle symbolizes freedom. Soaring high above the earth, they are majestic and mighty.

The eagle faces adversity after adversity and overcomes. The eagle doesn't hide from the storm - it uses the power of the wind to soar even higher and higher until it is gliding on the current of the storm. When storms come our way, do we soar or hide? As the eagle climbs to higher and higher heights, his body is growing stronger and stronger as he tears through the adversity of the storm. Eagles nest high up in the crags of the cliffs - high above threats and worries. Their nests are sturdy and sheltering. They have excellent vision - what we see as clear at 5 feet, they can see as clearly at 20 feet! Their vision is focused and intent - something that gives the advantage.

Be like an eagle and soar. See clearly when others only see things as a little 'blurry' or 'out of focus'. Be safe above all the hubbub of the day - you are 'nested' well in the crag of the rock of the Lord God himself. Just sayin!

A lesson from a barren tree

Did you ever stop to consider how big or how little a situation actually looks depending how close or far removed you are to it? Be up close and personal with the issue and you might see only parts and pieces of it, while missing the bigger picture. Be a little further away and you might miss the detail. At surface level, much may be appreciated, but rise a little further above the issue and you often see much, much more, but not as much as you see until you gain God's perspective on the situation!

17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. 18 So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 ERV)

This summer I took a few days in the high mountains of Arizona to just enjoy time with my grand boys and a second trip to enjoy some time with my BFF. On my trip up with boys, I spotted a very old, gnarled tree that had lost all the leaves, bark, and any signs of growth. At the very top of the tree, the broken space of the highest branches became the nesting spot of a great bald eagle. High atop the tree a nest was formed from fallen branches and pieces of deep wood undergrowth. Atop the nest, an eagle stood watch over the vast expanse of the forest. It made me think about a couple of things:

1. The places we might think are the most barren and not likely to serve much of a purpose often can become the place where we find our greatest perspective. We don't often find the eagle nesting among the hidden places of the tall tree's branches like you find the nests of the sparrows or finches. In fact, the eagle finds the highest perch and is often quite exposed in where it nests, but it also have the greatest vantage point from which to watch for threats. Sometimes the barrenness doesn't seem to have produced much in us, but it may just have given us the vantage point to observe for the threats that come our way in life.

2. The most unlikely things can become the greatest blessings in our life, when we see them from God's perspective. That tree didn't seem to serve any purpose any longer for much of the wildlife in the forest. The lack of leaves and small branches didn't make it much shelter from the storms that come or the hot heat of the afternoon sun blazing down upon it. It no longer produced pine cones or seeds for the squirrels to find sustenance in. Yet, it did still have purpose - as the nesting place for the great eagle. We might have to look a little closer at what we discount in life, for it could just be what we discount as "worthless" or "barren" is really the very thing that changes our perspective in life, making us more aware of our surroundings and brings us insight we didn't possess before.

3. Lastly, the nesting spot was at the very highest point in the tree. It was as close to God as that eagle could nest - some of us need to "nest" a little closer to God - maybe it will be at the place of the least amount of "visible growth" in our lives that we come to the place of our greatest nearness to him. Just sayin! 

The Eagle, The Globe and The Anchor

³⁰ Even young people become worn out and get tired.  Even the best of them trip and fall.  ³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will receive new strength. 
   They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. 
      They will walk and not grow weak.

(Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV)

I wonder how much we know about the United States Marine Corp's emblem.  I listened to a mother on the radio yesterday describing her son's pursuit for the coveted emblem of honor - showing he had completed his grueling basic training as a new U.S. Marine recruit.  She was so alone in her loneliness, not knowing the status of her son's latest achievements, his struggles, or the state of his health.  As she drove to work (an hour long commute in the Michigan area), she was overwhelmed by the "God moment" she experienced - so much so that she had to pull over to the shoulder and just revel in the beauty of his touch.  You see, as a Marine Recruit, her son's focus was to obtain the coveted Eagle, Globe and Anchor.  As a mom, praying for her son's welfare, God sent an Eagle across her path, soaring right in front of her car.  There she sat, wondering about his well-being, and God reinforced that he was with her son in his pursuit!  We serve an awesome God!

As I continued my commute to work, that young man's pursuit of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor began to speak to me about who God is in our lives.  You see, first and foremost, he is like the wings beneath us - quickly taking us from the pits of our despair, into the heights of his presence - much like the Eagle.  It is his Eagle-Sharp vision that targets the enemies of our soul and makes nothing more than prey of them.  It is his ability to view things from the vantage point high above life's situations that gives us perspective that we never would have otherwise.  So, as this young man is pursuing his Eagle - let us pursue ours!

The Globe portion of this emblem spoke to me about the fact that God is our "world".  He becomes the center of our existence - in fact, he is the very thing around which we find our world rotating!  In thinking this through, I began to see that God calls us to be "all in" with him - in turn, he commits to being "all in" with us.  He becomes our world!  He becomes that which gives us footing, sustains us, and meets our every need.  I think my message to that mother with a hurting heart for his war-bound son is simply this:  "He is all in with Jesus - Jesus is all in with him!"  He will sustain him, encourage him, and found him on a firm footing.  My message to each of you is the same!

Last, but not least, this young recruit is pursuing the Anchor.  Need I say more than that God is the thing that holds us steady when all around seems to be at unrest, pounding waves seek to carry us into the currents of depression, the hurricanes of disease threaten our peace, or the drifting of the lazy currents of apathy catch us unaware of our drift.  God is an anchor like no other.  His steadfast attention to every detail of our lives, every threat to our walk, is what we hold onto today.  

Lest we forget the most important words of this emblem - lodged securely in the beak of the Eagle:  Semper Fidelis - the meaning speaks volumes!  The words are "Always Faithful".  Now, what could describe our God better than those two words?  Nothing!  He is the one, always faithful, always there, always watchful over our lives!  

This young recruit may be pursuing the honor of the emblem of the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.  We are pursuing the honor of knowing the Eagle, the Creator of the World, and the Anchor of our Souls.  So, "recruit", what about you?  Are you pursuing the honor of the "corp" of the Chosen of the Most High?  If so, you are indeed honored to bear the emblem of the Eagle, the Globe, and the Anchor of your Soul!