The Eagle Who Spoke to Me

He's back!  We think this is the same eagle who visited last year in September. He hunts the swamp across from our house.  We just sat at the end of the driveway after church and admired this glorious bird of prey gliding effortlessly on the thermals.  He appeared to be having the time of his life in spite of a fierce and blustery wind.  Instead of working frantically to overcome the headwinds, he RODE them like a ride at the fair!  He banked right, then left, then straight up into the heavens.  He would suddenly turn to 'fall' zooming directly to earth, and all at once hovered in one place...all without once flapping his wings!  I felt God speaking to me in an instant. 

What an awesome visual answer to my prayer, "Father! How in the world do I accomplish all the important 'stuff' of life without working myself to bitterness or reverting back to the task master spirit of 'driver'?"

It's so easy to slip back into the OLD way of life, to listen to 'driver' yell in my ear... Be self-sufficient! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, woman!  Buck up and do it!  You have to be productive until you drop into bed to be VALUEABLE.  You are what you DO.  Time is fleeting, you have so much to DO!  All lies designed to keep me running on the hamster wheel, missing the abundant LIFE with the false thrill of busyness and DOING.

Lets just say it out loud. "The 'TO DO' list will never be DONE!"  There. We said it. Painful truth for all of us who are Choleric or have believed the lie of the orphan, thinking that we are alone in this world, that no one will rescue us or help, that it is all up to us. Our Father does not want us to fret, frantically trying to do the impossible, fighting fruitlessly against the powerful winds of perfectionism and performance for identity.

Mr. Timely Eagle was a reminder to listen to Holy Spirit; what is He asking me to do today.  How?  When?  When am I done?  When do I stop and rest and say "good job - you're done for today'.  God is the author of BALANCE and true success in all the areas of this life he has given me - family, health, motherhood, business & ministries.  I set a plan of action with God's discernment and then choose to be "faithful'.  Mother Theresa said "I do not pray for success.   I ask for faithfulness."    One of my all time favorite mentors, also given the National "Spirit of Success" award said... "Tracy, are you being ambitious or faithful?"  I choose to be FAITHFUL.