Sunday, November 29, 2009

Learn from the Eagle

In reading and researching about eagles, I remembered that over the years I’d received some really nice pieces on Eagles (glad I saved them…for me – never knew I’d ever blog…that’s God for you again)

I’ll share some of the tips I gleaned…you may or not have seen these before just remember, I’m not the author and I don’t know who the author is. I’ve put some changes/additions to the original email and highlights in green and added italics for emphasis.

PRINCIPLE 1
Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can go to the height of the eagle - they fly the farthest and do it with minimal effort - see Principle 4 belowEagles fly with Eagles; associate with Eagles to become one.


PRINCIPLE 2
Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it. Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

PRINCIPLE 3
Eagles do not eat stale things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not. Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well. Also watch your eating habits - you become what you eat...eating at home always trumps eating out - healthier for your body and pocket.

PRINCIPLE 4
Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind (i.e. the eye) of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

PRINCIPLE 5
The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle.
The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her.
Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership. Now, this “test” needs to be in the place of prayer…only God knows the heart of man and only God can reveal it to you so “check it out in the place of prayer”.

PRINCIPLE 6
Eagle couples work together. When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff  or in a tall tree near water where predators cannot reach. They both carry materials: starting with twigs and thorns, then soft grass to cover the thorns. Finally, they pluck their feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. The male and female eagle jointly build their nest, protect and raise their family. 
She lays the eggs and both of them protect them; when the eggs hatch, both of them share the responsibility of hunting and providing for their little ones. 
During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again. Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for sometime until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly.
The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes. The preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both husband and wife leads to success. Note that the nest is made "comfortable" with the eagle's feathers...we need to give of ourselves to make our homes comfortable and this applies to you whether you're single or married.  
Being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not  progressing and /or not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns. For ladies who love roses, is there ever a rose without thorns or prickles, as some people prefer to call them? Ever wondered what the benefit of the thorns/prickles is? Well, they are simply to ward off predators and could extend the rose's life...hmmm.
The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

PRINCIPLE 7
The Eagle knows when to retire (i.e. rest to be refreshed & renewed). When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.
We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us. We also need to learn how to relax & rest to be refreshed and renewed – Jesus did that, so should we...considering how busy we can be (& are) 

We'll talk some more about Principle 7...from more than one perspective.

You can read some more about Eagles:
http://www.plantinghisseeds.net/articles/eagles.htm
http://www.grandforks.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123134555

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