Fluffing the Nest

During my Bible reading this week, I came across this verse. “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:” Deuteronomy 32:11

Isn’t it full of poetry; so packed with life and truth and beauty? I thought to myself, “I’ve never seen an eagle stir up her nest!” It was then I decided to study the eagle. In the context of this Bible verse, the eagle is used to demonstrate how God takes a hold of our own lives, shakes us up, and teaches us to soar like eagles and to anticipate the next phase to our life.

What I learned helped me to connect more dots to my own trial. I pray this will encourage your heart.

For such a time as this - we are “storm-sisters.” Our trial is different yet woven with similar threads.

The Eagle

She builds her nest high upon the rocky heights and there, suspended in a fluffy, cozy shelter, are her beautiful eaglets. Mother eagle comes and taking hold of them, flings them out of the nest one by one. She forces them right out of the nest high above the earth. They begin to fall straightway. Having always been in a nest the air is foreign to them.

I began to understand. As long as I looked at the struggling eaglets in the air, I missed the point. Then I focused on the eagle; having stirred up her nest she spreads her wings…wings that beat the air behind her as she raises superior to it. Where are the eaglets? Struggling, falling; she is superior; they are falling. Then what does she do? She “beareth them on her pinions.” She swoops beneath them, catches them on her wings and bears them up. What is she doing? Teaching them to fly! She drops them again, and again they struggle in the air, but this time not so helplessly. They are finding out what she means. She spreads her pinions to show them how to fly and as they fall again, she catches them.

A light came on for me. That is how God deals with me. He has been stirring up my nest for the last five years and has flung me out until I have felt lost in an element that is new and strange.

Too many times I focus on me and this beautiful Bible verse reminds me to look at my eagle – the Saviour. He is not lost in this element. He spreads out the wings of omnipotence to teach me how to soar. What then? He comes beneath me and catches me on His wings. He is teaching me how to use the gifts He has bestowed on me and which I cannot use as long as I stay in the nest.

Fancy keeping eaglets in the nest! It is contrary to their nature, contrary to the purposes for which they are framed and fitted. There is a purpose in the eagle – to fly!

There is a purpose in this peculiar Australian lady’s life; to fly Godward, Sonward, Heavenward. If I had stayed in my Australian nest, perhaps I would have never learned to soar. God has entered my life like never before to get me on His wings and teach me this progressive element to my own life.

Wait for the best part of studying the life of a mother eagle.

The life span of an eagle is up to 70 years. But in order to live this long it must make the toughest decision at 40.

At 40, its beak is so long and curvy that it reaches its chest. Its wings, full of long, thickened feathers, are too heavy for easy flying. The eagle is left with 2 choices:-

(1) Do nothing and await its death; or
(2) Go through a painful period of transformation and renewal.

For 150 days it first trains itself to fly beyond the high mountains, build and live in its nest and cease all flying activities. It then begins to knock its beak against granite rocks until the beak is completely removed. When a new beak is grown, the eagle will use it to remove all its old claws and wait quietly for new ones to be fully grown. The eagle will then use them to remove all its feathers, one by one.

Five months later, when its new feathers are fully grown, it soars in the sky again with renewed strength. It is able to live for the next 30 years.

In my own life I have made difficult decisions to make room for changes. Those changes have brought about renewal. I am learning to soar again as I let go of old ways, old habits and old lives. As I am prepared to put aside my old baggage – past glory or shame, past success or failure; I have discovered the Saviour’s love and mercy like never before. His provision is glorious! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and I’m always asking for a “big fat cow.”

The eagle shows me that there are tough decisions to make in life and patience is needed on my part for His plan to materialize.

As I continue to look to the Saviour as my provider and protector, I pray He will knit us together as women of virtue who embrace our trial and grow in grace.

Through my own trial I have learned to love my husband like never before. He has been the rock in my storm and without him - I would not be the woman I am.

I’m so grateful God brought us together and is weaving our lives with His invisible and irresistible threads.

I love you and I believe in you,
Deborah