As I teach women through our Christian Women’s Job Corps
program, I am reminded of an analogy that I have used that has to do with parrots and eagles.

Let’s consider parrots. Their external characteristics are beautiful: brightly colored, soft bellied, big beaks and little heads. They can repeat words and are content with eating the same food over and over again. They master the art of sitting on the same perch for years. They are content with living in a cage, being the center of attention and crave to be stroked continuously. They desire to be entertained and love company.

Our society is much like a parrot. Some are adorned with brightly colored clothing; some have very soft bellies; some speak our religious words in rapid-fire with one another and are content with eating the same foods. How much money is spent in the area of “entertainment”? Are you content to stay in your own home and chair, avoiding a world full of adventure? Are you sitting on your perch?

As I look at eagles, they are never predictable. They have an inner need to seek and search, think and discover. They are full of courage and are driven to take risks. Their eating habits are filled with a fresh catch of the day, pending on availability at the time.

Are we running shy of eagles and over-board with parrots? Might we be willing to explore the unlimited ranges of the kingdom of God, willing to return with a brief report on our findings before we leave the nest again for another fascinating adventure? Can we be tough minded, willing to ask the hard questions as we bypass the routine in pursuit of the truth?

Are you craving the deep things of God, fresh from the Himalayan heights, where the thin air makes thoughts pure and clear?

If you like being a parrot, stay put. But if you are an eagle at heart, what are you doing on that perch? Do you have any idea how greatly you are needed to soar and explore? Do you realize how out of place you are inside that cage? Even though others may not tell you, eagles look pretty silly stuck on a perch picking over a tasteless pile of dried seeds. I’ve never heard anybody ask, “Eagle want a cracker?”

Leilani Anderson is the education director at My Father’s House Lubbock in Lubbock, Texas.

Prayers for the week:
- God, help us live up to our full potential and not settle for mediocrity.
- God, give us the motivation that we need to challenge ourselves daily to grow into stronger, more capable human beings who glorify you.

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