Unfeathered

Few of us remember being potty-trained, but I’m sure all of us are glad we are! From a toddler’s point of view, the experience must truly be puzzling. Perhaps it’s a grace not being able to recall these memories!

Part of every Believer’s life is a harvest of righteousness. Really, imagine your life if your parents had “skipped” the potty-training time! In her book Soaring on High, Mary Whelchel describes how Mama eagle pulls downy fur from her own breast to prepare a soft, warm and cozy nest for her baby eaglets. Then … “When a baby eagle is about three months old, and about 80 percent of its full-grown size, Mama and Papa start behaving very strangely. Mama stomps into the nest, squawking and throwing all the soft fur and feathers out and sweeping the nest with her great wings. With all the softness gone, the nest becomes uncomfortable, with scratchy sticks and branches coming from every direction. No longer is it a cushiony place for baby eagle to lie around and relax.” Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?” (Galatians 3:4). In contrast to the culture in which we live where we are programmed for instant gratification, there are God-ordained benefits when we accept suffering as part of life. We endure difficult circumstances, looking ahead, wasting none of the hardship. The baby eagle has no capacity to look forward to the good as Mama eagle takes away the comforts – neither does a toddler-in-training. Believers, however, have the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to trust The Father and live in the mind of Christ, seeing beyond present troubles. Life may seem “unfeathered” at times, but trust that God never wastes an opportunity for your good and His glory.