"In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions." (Deuteronomy 32:10-11 NIV)

I believe that among all the love shared between the people of the world, no love is as particular and thorough as the love displayed between a parent and their child. It is widely known that a parent who truly loves their child would never do anything to hurt them.

The Bible uses the metaphor of the eagle and it’s young to describe the relationship between parent and child. Eagles stir up the nest to make their young aware and attentive. In a sense, they disturb and even destroy the home, in order to press their young to leave the nest and eventually learn to fly without parental help. I believe that within this state of powerlessness the young are quite afraid and challenged. However, with the parent hovering nearby, though afraid the young is never in real danger. Ironically, without this disturbance from the parent, the young eagle would never learn to spread its wings and soar through the air.

When the adult eagle stirs up the nest, he has planned everything. He knows when to safely handle the young, enabling the young to discover how to fly. Every eagle will experience the process of having the father stir up the nest, cause uneasiness and trepidation before finally learning to spread its wings and go to flight.

God draws upon this portrayal of the eagle to represent Himself. God is letting us know that there will be seasons when our "nests will be stirred up" and times when we may be subject to tragedy and heartbreak. However, we must realize that we too have the potential to spread our wings and soar high in the sky. For those who believe and trust the heavenly Father, though they live through flights that may rise and fall, God’s promise to each is firm. He will spread His wings to catch us when we are weak.

I believe when faced with tragedy, the disappointing thing for us is not the agony we confront. Rather, the disappointment is when one forgets the presence of God. When that happens, we just hopelessly struggle through life. However, we can remember that the mighty wings of God are ready to catch us at the right time. We must have faith to walk through life day by day, knowing that God in His grace will be there for us.

The Cactus

Rev. Kelvin Li
May 21, 2008