Soar Like Eagles

Have you ever seen a real, live bald eagle? I have. Last week, my parents took the kids and me over to see the bald eagle’s nest in Llano County. And it was a sight to behold.

The nest itself was enormous! It rested in a bare-branched tree, and took up the better part of the middle branches. After just a few moments of exclaiming over its hugeness, it moved! There, in the middle of the nest, was a baby eagle, bobbing its head up and down as if to say, “Look at me! I’m the one you came to see!”

We pulled out our binoculars, and watched the young bird for a long time. It gave us quite a show, sometimes opening its mouth wide, sometimes ducking to hide, other times spreading its wings in wishful thinking. After a while, we began to wonder where its parents were.

Surely, they weren’t far away. But we couldn’t see them. We had heard that both parents stayed close, watching over their baby, sharing in the responsibility of seeing their offspring safely to young adulthood. But as far as we could tell, that little guy was all alone.

Then my dad, (just call him ol’ Eagle Eye,) saw him. The Daddy Eagle. He was sitting on the very tip-top of a thick, bare tree trunk, and he actually looked like an extension of the trunk. But closer examination through the binoculars revealed that, yes, that was the Daddy bird. He had been there all along.

Our attention was then drawn away from the baby, as we watched the guardian. He was situated in the next tree over from the nest. He was several yards higher than his child, and could see directly into the nest. As a matter of fact, he could see everything that went on in that entire region. He sat there quietly, only moving his head from time to time in an effort to keep watch.

After a while, our attention was drawn back to the baby. It was getting more and more restless, flapping its wings and opening its beak wide. It seemed to be approaching panic level. “Somebody feed me! Somebody take care of me!” I could imagine the little bird calling out.

Then, it happened. With a spread of his tail feathers and a glorious swoop of his wings, the daddy eagle soared! It was honestly one of the most beautiful things I have seen. The grand eagle soared majestically through the air, above the nest, into some far trees, back above the nest, and then he swooshed down into the valley beyond view, toward the Llano River.

The baby bobbed. He squawked. He seemed to worry and fret and complain, wondering why somebody didn’t come and take care of him. If only he knew. His daddy was there all the time. If only we all knew . . . just because we can’t see Someone, it doesn’t mean He isn’t there. Watching us. Protecting us. Providing for our needs.

Before long, the daddy showed up again with some kind of yummy, nutritious treat. The baby disappeared in the shadow of his father’s wings. All was right with his world.

Isaiah 40:31 “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.”