YOU ARE AN EAGLE!...not a chicken!!

There is an old Indian story about a brave boy who went out hunting and found an eagle’s egg that had fallen from its nest but miraculously remained unbroken. The Indian took the egg and put it in the nest of a prairie chicken. The eagle’s egg hatched along with the other eggs in the prairie chicken’s nest, and the little eaglet grew up with the other baby birds.

All his life the young eagle thought he was a prairie chicken. He learned to do what prairie chickens do: scratch in the dirt for seeds and insects, cluck and cackle and fly just a few feet off the ground with wings thrashing and feathers scattering to the wind. After all, that’s how prairie chickens fly. They don’t know any other way.

The years passed and the young eagle became full grown. One day he looked up and saw a magnificent bird high above in the cloudless sky. The huge bird seemed to hang in the air, borne by the wind currents, soaring with scarcely a beat of its huge, powerful wings.

“What a beautiful bird!” he exclaimed. “What is it?” “That’s an eagle – the chief of birds” somebody said. “But don’t give it a second thought. You could never be like him.”

The eagle might have died after living the life of a chicken, but fortunately he did give it a second thought. On another day, as he scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects, he looked up and again saw that same majestic bird as it soared high above, its huge wings outstretched against the sky.

Strange, he said to himself. I, too have giant wings and my feet have these huge claws that could be used for more than scratching the dirt.

And so the eagle got a running start and leaped into the air, working his huge wings rhythmically and steadily as he had seen the huge bird do. Instead of rising only a few feet, as usual, he soared into the sky and found his true potential and destiny.

What made the difference? When the chicken-eagle got another glimpse of excellence as it soared past, high above, something clicked inside. He had always heard an inner voice whispering, “You can do more than this,” but he had never responded. He had taken the advice of his chicken companions who said, “Why make more dust than necessary as you scratch your way through life? Settle for the status quo; it’s safer than the wild, blue yonder.”

When I share this story, I often tell audiences that we are all eagles in a chicken world. We have potential far beyond the status quo and mediocrity. As we look to God, we find our true identity. And as we find out who we really are, we begin to do and be what God designed for us.

The chicken-eagle story illustrates an awesome truth: The person you see is the person you’ll be. You can commit yourself to the pursuit of excellence or you can settle for mediocrity. You can reach your real potential or be content with far less.

Extracted from Robert A. Schuller’s book, “Power to Grow Beyond Yourself”

Eagles & chicken...such a great difference man! I think that sometimes we tend to settle for less not realizing the potential that is within each one of us. I remember seeing the video by TD Jakes…he says the way we perceive ourselves, and the way we perceive God is going to determine how far we move on in life.

We are in the potter’s hand, and He is a great and mighty God. When He created us, he had the intention of us rising up as eagles…

If we allow the Holy Spirit to birth His vision within us, He will bring it to pass and we need to continually know and believe that there is much more…do not be limited by what we think of ourselves, and what we can do.

In the past, I’ve had many times encountered fear. If not because of His words and empowerment, I would not have moved on...the fear had me paralyzed. Thank God we have the victory over fear and He changes our perspective and mindsets…phew!…yup, I will not settle for mediocrity, will you?

-jo-
You are meant to soar like an eagle!