There is a story in Africa of a farmer that found a young eaglet that had fallen out if its nest. He took it home and raised it with his chickens. The eaglet grew up with the chickens not knowing that it could soar in the heavens. Not knowing it was not a chicken, it was content to eat and live as a chicken.
After it had grown up, one day there was an eagle soaring and screeching overhead. For the first time ever it suddenly flew and joined the eagle in the air, never to return to the chicken coop. Can we image what kind of a sight that must have been to see a majestic eagle walking and eating among the chickens? Scratching in the dirt for food when he should have been a bird of prey soaring in the heavens! However this is how we find ourselves, living in an environment that we have no business being in. Like a sheep wallowing in a pigpen — we are out of our element.
With all the power that God has promised to work in and through us, yet we voluntarily live in self made chicken coops of mediocrity. In Isaiah 40:31 it says, “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 be faint.” With all of the promises of God to help, why are we not living up to our potential?
I think that perhaps it is that we do not want to get out of our comfort zone. That this is the way we have lived all of our life; and my father and grandfather before me. But like the eagle, we must dare to be different and to change when change is needed. Like the prodigal son who was feeding pigs in another country, starving and away from his family, he suddenly realized that there must be something better than this!
Many of us find ourselves in our own chicken coop, not realizing that we were created for much greater things. With God’s blessings and help we can have a better life now and a retirement plan that is out of this world. If we will but accept God’s terms of pardon and become his child, then we, like the eagle, can soar to greater heights never to return to our chicken coop.
Just something to think about!
Harvey Schultz hschultz2@yahoo.com
Something To Think About 