He sustained him in a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him, guarded him as the apple of his eye. 
As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young; as it spreads
its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions…
Deuteronomy 32:10-11

Once while reading today’s scripture, I was taken by the imagery of God like an eagle stirring up the nest and hovering over her young. I did not know what to make of the imagery but knew there was something important here.  So I called my friend Larry, a wildlife artist devoted to studying and painting birds.  I talked with Larry about the passage and asked if he could explain the imagery of God as an eagle stirring up the nest. 

I will never forget what Larry said. He told me that when a young eaglet begins to get its wings, the mother begins preparing it to leave the comfort and security of the nest. She starts removing straw, corn stalks and other soft materials from the nest, making it a less comfortable place to live. At the same time, she returns with food, not to place in the young eaglet’s mouth, but to place on a near rock or ledge.  She wants the young eaglet to learn to fly, to hunt, and live on its own. But the mother eagle will still hover over her young, to teach and guard. 

A light went on for me as I listened to Larry explain about the eagle stirring up her nest. I began to think of times in my life when I had become too comfortable, times I was even stuck deep in the status quo.  I was too lazy or too fearful to risk getting on with life. God wanted a lot more for me! So God had His ways of stirring things up, but always hovering near me to care and move me along.  

Sometimes I feel unsettled, restless like God is stirring things up.  I know God can use this holy discontent to get me moving.  God longs for me to dare to risk, to trust Him to do new things through me for the world and for His Kingdom. He wants me to fly!

PLANT A THOUGHT… Repeat, Tell, Write, Create

A Fellow Traveler,
Tim