Bald Eagle
John Miller
12/24/19
- Windstream Mail
R E F L E C T I O N S Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith 12/23/19 ________________________________________________________ "He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him." - Isa. 53:2 |
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I photographed this bald eagle at an avian center in southern West Virginia. Quite an impressive bird, isn't he? There is a majesty about bald eagles which, I suppose, led our founding fathers to select the bald eagle as our national symbol. But not everyone agreed. Benjamin Franklin had a problem with the bald eagle representing the United States. He wrote, "For my own part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living honestly. Besides he is a rank coward." What sparked Franklin's harsh words? He observed that eagles tend to steal food from other birds frequently and, even though they look intimidating, often are chased away by much smaller birds. Looks can be deceiving. Sometimes what man esteems God despises and what man despises God esteems. Such is what happened when God became flesh and dwelt among us. Who would have thought that a poor village carpenter from an insignificant part of the world would turn out to be the most significant person to have ever walked the earth? Who would have thought that the first would be last and the last would be first? Who would have thought that light could come out of darkness or death could bring about life? Who would have thought that our deliverance would come from the one we had offended? And who would have thought that in order to find life we would have to experience a kind of death? Such is the mystery and the beauty of the gospel. In a world that elevates power and riches, let us remember that the one who rescued us calls us to be like him, humble in heart and poor in spirit. Let eagles remind us that it is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside, that counts. - John
