The Brave Heart
With Jenny Baxter
Two Birdies and an Eagle
Becoming a gift to those around you
By Jenny Baxter
It is possible you are reading this thinking you are about to get a golfing story.
No, not today – this really is about birds and eagles!
Chickens
My friend has some chickens in her back yard. When a new brood hatches, they “cheep-cheep-cheep” around the mother hen's feet and busily scatter around the yard, but quickly run for cover near her side whenever an intruder (like me) approaches.
After a couple of months they progress from tiny balls of yellow fluff to young adolescents with messes of immature feathers slowly being replaced by newly growing adult plumage. They clumsily mimic their mother's scratching in the ground, while still making tiny cheep-cheeps.
Then one day they finally lose all their immature feathers. To all intents and purposes they look just like an adult chicken. They have learnt to scrape and scratch on the ground. They spread and wander without having to rely on mother hen so much anymore. But they sound so funny because they still “cheep-cheep-cheep”! In the course of time they will develop a more mature tone. But for the time being they are still juvenile chickens – their voices are a dead giveaway.
Gulls
On my daily walks I notice several types of gulls which frequent the beach nearby. The usual silver seagulls are very common and found all over Australia – in coastal areas as well as inland. I also see a few Pacific Gulls – these are much larger black and white birds with a huge wingspan, and an agile ability to dive into the water at speed to catch their dinner.
Just like the chicks on my friend's farm, the juvenile offspring of gulls are constantly making noise. They seem to whine to their adult companions, “Food, food, I want more food!” Even when they are a little older and their incessant squeaks subside, it is immediately obvious which ones are juvenile birds because of their stance. They do not hold their heads up proudly like their seniors, but their shoulders are hunched, with their heads almost aligned with their backs as they bow, scrape and defer to the adult gulls.
Eagles
Wedge-tailed eagles sometimes swoop and dive in the air high over both the farm with its chicks, and the beach with its gulls. Such majestic creatures, they are an inspiration to watch.
They soar so high above the earth, it gives meaning to that well-worn phrase ‘a bird's eye view'. They are the largest bird of prey in Australia and can reach altitudes over 6,500 ft! Mature eagles have a wingspan of 7.5ft and can soar in air currents for up to 90 minutes at a time.
Way up high, it is possible to see them as tiny specks in the blue sky – they circle, dive and soar while hunting for their next meal by using air currents which I cannot even see.
Be a gift
It is possible to understand much of our human behavior by noticing characteristics of birds. Just like little chicks, our children run around making ‘cheep-cheep' noises. They love to be busy with activity which mimics adult behavior, and run for cover every time there is a threat. They can also bow, scrape and defer in ways very similar to juvenile gulls. These are all the sorts of things you would expect of our young ones – let kids be kids after all. Sadly however, even as adults, we can maintain similar behavior to those juvenile birds, to all intents and purposes looking just like adults but continuing to exhibit immature traits.
How glorious though, to see someone choose to make that transition from juvenile to adult – they become just like an eagle. This is when they can become a real gift to those around them, their community, and even the world. No longer do they dive for cover with reactionary cheep-cheeps, nor do they mimic those around them, but independently take on their true nature. Bowing and scraping in proper deference to those who are older becomes a thing of the past as they take their place as a responsible member in leadership of their wider community.
Especially, they can soar like eagles, using power available to them which cannot even be seen.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 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.
Isaiah 40:30-31 (NIV)
Jenny Baxter is the editor of Christian Woman magazine (Australia/NZ)
Check out her blog ‘Oh Happy Day!', or catch up with her on Twitter
