Victoria Advocate, A Different Perspective
In my Bible Study group, I recently heard a great devotional about one aspect of an eagle’s life. It seems when a baby eagle is ready to fly, Mom and Pop give him a shove out of the nest. Never having tried his wings, he falls, but at the last possible moment, Dad Eagle swoops in and rescues the baby. This happens over and over again until the eaglet gets the hang of flying.
Goodness! So many ways to go with this fact of nature. It reminded me of the years I worked at a Sylvan Learning Center in East Texas. Parents would call, then bring their children in for an assessment. Usually, the child wasn’t where they needed to be in a particular subject but the reasons could vary. Sometimes, a learning disability was in play and the child needed extra time. Other times, the child didn’t like a teacher or the subject and just got stubborn, lazy, or lost interest—not so different from what adults do, except we’re supposedly the mature ones. However, it didn’t really matter how the deficit came about, the result was the same. They had gotten so far behind, they couldn’t catch up without help. The best-case scenario was the Sylvan staff would supply what was needed to get the gaps filled in, and the students could move on. Our services weren’t cheap, but they definitely helped kids not go splat on the concrete of educational requirements.
Another time our grown children had gathered for an extended family dinner. All the young parents were busy visiting, but the toddlers couldn’t resist the lure of stairs. I parked at the bottom of the steps and sure enough, a child came tumbling down. My arm shot out just in time to keep the little one from smacking on the floor. One parent happened to see and said, “Good save!” Nobody else noticed, but I knew. That day, it was good to be a grandma.
Recently, a woman in my Bible study group had a stent put into an artery with 99.7% blockage. She’s fine as frog’s hair now, but looking back, the weeks leading up to the surgery were both harrowing and miraculous. One misstep and the outcome could have been much different.
The list goes on. I’m not the only one who hears about good outcomes. They happen often, sometimes daily, if we’re paying attention. Some folks attribute these types of events to coincidence or the stars lining up correctly or living a good life, but I see it differently. Whatever happens in my life, I choose to see the hand of God at work.
He’s not only perfectly just—and the only one who is—he’s merciful as well. It’s intrinsic in his character. It’s who he is. My job is to never forget the good things he does for me. “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!” (Psalm 103: 3-5)
Life happens, but I have this comfort. Just like the Papa eagle, God is in the rescue business. He’s faster and his reach is farther than I can fall.