“As an eagle gently pushes its young out of the nest and hovers over them with outstretched wings to lift and carry them in its flight, so the Lord alone guided him, with no foreign god beside him.”
(Deuteronomy, ch. 32, v. 11-12*)
In the fifth and final book of Moses, Deuteronomy, the song of Moses is recorded, which he leaves at the end of his life for the people of Israel. There, a very interesting metaphor is used to describe God's relationship with His people. God's love and care are compared to that of a mother eagle. We usually associate the image of the eagle with excessive care, with love that is watchful, ready to defend the object of its care. To some extent, we even consider this love toxic or harmful in raising children, for example, because it does not allow them to grow up brave and independent, taking responsibility for themselves. However, we observe this only in humans, not in animals.
The eagle is not such a “parent” as most of us might think. Eagle chicks learn to fly with the help of their parents, who literally push them out of the nest. They circle around the little ones and swoop down at the moment they see them falling. The eaglets do not have strong wings, they do not know the extent to which they need to spread them to be airborne. They are unsure, which is why they would not start jumping out of the nest on their own. Fear of the unknown stops them, even if they carry the instinct to fly within. However, adult birds have another developed instinct besides flying. They have an instinct for raising the young, which includes both vigilant care and encouragement to take action or place them in a position of responsibility. Thus the eaglet matures, learns, and develops its wings in a supervised environment.
Such is God's love for us. We are safe, even if it does not seem so when the Lord “gently nudges” us out of the nest to spread our wings. True love will not leave us helpless and unprepared to enter life, will not limit us and keep us anchored, but will “make us capable of every good deed.” (Hebrews, ch. 13, v. 21*) Just as we expect a good parent to give the child the opportunity to develop its potential even at the risk of not feeling confident and comfortable at first, we must know that our Heavenly Father certainly knows best how to encourage us in learning, courage, and taking responsibility. This makes us the people He created us to be, the best He has planned for us. The reassuring thing in this whole process of encouraged learning and leap into the air is that always, always, always the Father will be there for you. He will swoop down like an arrow the moment your wings give way. He will lift you back up...and let you go again. God's strength and love provide security in our maturity process. Jesus Christ says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (John, ch. 10, v. 27-29*, emphasis is ours)
In the process of learning, there will be frightening moments, times when you will have to make bold decisions with trust in the One who will swoop down for you when you start to fall. How comforting is it to know, though, that “as an eagle gently pushes its young out of the nest and hovers over them with outstretched wings, to lift and carry them in its flight,” so the Lord will be gentle with us, will prepare us spiritually and mentally, will protect us from risk and fatality, and in the right moment, will nudge us so that we do not miss the opportunity. Be ready to fly!
*Biblical quotes are according to the text of the Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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