MIKE VINSON, Guest Columnist
Sunday, June 3, 2012 3:47 am
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It seems this biblical reference to the eagle is the near-mythical power of flight that allows the king of birds to hang as if frozen in the air for lengthy periods, making it appear as though it is not moving to the human eye.
Therefore, it’s not a great wonder the bald eagle is the national bird of the United States and, too, is on the U.S. Seal – in essence, the symbol of American power.
Though the bald eagle, found in every state except Hawaii, varies in size according to geographical location, a good, average physical blueprint is that it is between 28 and 40 inches in length, has a wingspan of up to 7.5 feet, a weighs 9 pounds.
It also builds the largest nest of any North American bird.
The eagle’s eyesight is so keen it can identify a rabbit moving almost a mile away. An eagle flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet over open country could spot, from a fixed position, prey over an area of almost 3 square miles.
The female is considerably larger than the male.
What you just have read is data anyone can pull off the Internet, correct?
Here is some data, though, with which you might be unfamiliar, and yes, a friend sent it to me via e-mail.
However, I’m going to share it with you because it, simply, is too amazing to not share.
The eagle has the longest lifespan amongst birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision.
Once the eagle gets into its 40s, in terms of chronological years, its long and flexible talons no longer can grab prey, which serves as food.
Its long and sharp beak becomes bent, and its old age and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest, making it difficult to fly.
Then, the eagle is left with only two options: Die or go through a painful process of change, which lasts 150 days.
The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out.
After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back, and then it will pluck out its talons.
When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old feathers. After five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.
Lesson learned: Many times, in order to survive, we have to start a change process.
Sometimes, we need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions.
As one writer said, “It’s no wonder God wants us to spread our wings and soar with the eagles.”
And while speaking of God, as it might correlate with the bald eagle, I’ll refer back to Proverbs.
In the Garden of Eden, Lucifer conned Eve by speaking to her through a serpent – the serpent being an exalted creature that did have wings before sin entered the world.
A serpent, now, is categorized as the lowest of the low.
In an analogous sense, I suppose we could compare the bald eagle to a deity and the serpent to Lucifer. When the Devil throws temptation our way, God, soaring far above the clouds, is ever-ready to swoop down and save us from sin’s venom.
I certainly hope you experienced the same goose-bump type thrills reading this as I did writing it.
Simply amazing.