Flying High

          Each morning when I get up one of the first things I see is the plaque in my bathroom that displays  Isaiah 40:31,  "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  The plaque was one that we gave to my parents many years ago.  The verse has often been an inspiration and an encouragement to me.
         Now I've never been real interested in eagles until just recently.  I knew that the bald eagle has been part of our national emblem since 1782.  I knew that eagles were big powerful and beautiful birds, but I didn't know much more.  Then we found the Berry College eagle cam and we have watched daily, with growing interest, the eagle nest at Berry College.
          When we first began to watch we saw the nest and "mother to be" eagle.  Then we watched as she produced two eggs on January 6 and 9.  About a month later we saw the eggs hatch on February 10 and 15.  Since then we've watched the parents care for their two children.  Daily we see them bring food - squirrels, birds and maybe fish - to the nest to feed them.  It has been interesting to watch the babies grow and even fight.  One is definitely more aggressive than the other.  And mom and dad faithfully feed and protect them, even when snow covered their nest.  And the babies are growing quickly.  It is fascinating to see the parents take turns caring for them and watching them soar off of their nest to go hunting or watch for predators.
          I've learned that it takes four to five years for an eagle to reach full maturity.  They will grow to 35 to 37 inches and weigh 10 to 14 pounds.  Their wingspan will be 72 to 90 inches and they will fly at heights up to 10,000 feet at speeds of 30 to 35 mph.  And they will live about 30 years being faithful to the same mate. Incredibly their nests will be about five feet wide at first but over the years will often be expanded up to about nine feet.  Nests can weigh up to two tons.  A female will lay one to three eggs each year and they will hatch in about 35 days.  The babies grow quickly and can be as large as their parents after six weeks.
          The part that I am waiting to see is their learning to fly.  This comes ten to thirteen weeks after hatching.  That would be about the end of April for the 2015 Berry Eagles.  But sadly 40% of the babies do not survive their flight lessons.
         Now as I've watch the eagles, I've been struck once again with the wonder of God's creation.  Not only did he create these beautiful birds, but he gave them the instincts to survive, to reproduce and to care for their offspring.  It is amazing and humbling.  And I can't help but think that many parents and spouses could learn some practical lessons from the eagles in terms of caring, providing, working together and faithfulness.
          How can one believe that all of this just happened by chance or that it is the result of evolution.  Watching the eagles must make you know that there has to be a Creator.
Now if you want to join the eagle watch, you can watch the young ones grow at  BERRY CAM or you can wait to see the eggs hatch at the HANOVER CAM.  But let me warn you, once you visit you will get hooked!
          In the meantime may we soar like the eagles as we trust the Lord daily to renew our strength.