Parenting Like An Eagle Series

This text—Moses writes it toward the end/conclusion/close of his career as the lead role player in the deliverance of God’s people. The children of Israel have come to approach and advance to the end of their 40 year journey/sojourn/voyage and they are about to enter into the promise land. Moses has been told/informed/advised by the voice of God that he will not enter into the promise land alongside the children of Israel—however, he still must give them instructions and directives from God Himself. Historically, this text is to be a reminder/prompt/que to the children of Israel as to how God has dealt with them as His people. And every now and then, I’ve discovered that it is good to remember/recollect/reminisce, in a real sense, about what the Lord has done for you. I think we would have better church services if more of us could remember what the Lord has done for us.

But when I look at this text, I discover and unearth that there is an analogy here that is set up with this Mother Eagle teaching and instructing her young eaglets how to fly. And, moreover, some helpful nuggets that can serve as a launching pad to soar productively and effectively in our parenting.

And if you pray with me I want to try and lift up out of this text some parenting skills that can be picked up from the Mother Eagle.

Take note—I did not say parenting like a chicken—for a chicken teaches her young to eat almost anything. In fact that is why after you get a little chicken you get it and put it up off of the yard and put it up and you nurture it with special feed. Because if you take it off the yard you will discover that it’s been eating everything. And additionally, a chicken will teach its young only/merely how to scratch for things—really it will teach it how to pluck/pull/tug and how to scratch/graze/nick—but it will never teach/traing/instruct it how to fly.

I did not say parenting like an ostrich—who hides/covers/screens her eggs in the sand. Just below the surface/plane of the sand where they are easily/effortlessly trampled upon and easily crushed by those who are walking by; and easily found by predators. And I have discovered that there are some parents just like that—who only cover/protect/shield/guard/defent their children with sand-like experiences—whereby they are easily discovered by predators of life and easily trampled upon by those walking by.

Now (interestingly and additionally) an ostrich is also notoriously known by another problem—and that is that the ostrich is known to place his head in the sand when trouble comes along. And I didn’t say parenting like an ostrich because some parents are clearly/obviously/evidently in utter and complete denial—and they are operating under some false illusion—acting like their child doesn’t have any problems/issues at all.

However, is there anybody in here who really wants, yearns and desires a full and practical understanding as to how to parent like an eagle?

And, consequently, when you look at that 11th verse, there are five phrases there that we want to lift up as some parenting skills for parents—in an effort to improve and enhance our homes/families/relationships. For when you and I gain a proper understanding of the importance and imperative of how paramount and tantamount our parenting and our parenthood is to the lifeblood of our future and our community—that we will begin to see a change in our families and our homes and as a consequence a revolution and revival in our churches and our communities. We discover that these eagles and hatchlings were in a place where the Mother Eagle had to do some things to move these eaglets from dependence to independence; from potential to performance.

Do you not know that that is your job? As a parent it is your job to move your child from dependence to independence.

I. She disturbs

II. She draws near

III. She demonstrates

IV. She develops them

V. She’s there to deliver them

First of all, if you are going to move your children from dependence to independence—you must be a disturbing parent. You’ve got to learn how to disturb them. The Bible says that that eagle stirreth up her nest. That when they get to certain age—that she interferes with their comfort zone.

If you don’t want to have anybody still staying in your house, 25 or 30 years old, sleeping on you while you get up in the morning and go to a job—you better learn how to disturb the nest.

Some writers say that what that mother eagle or father eagle would do—they would remove the padding from the nest so that the eaglets had to deal with thorns.

You see—early on in life we cushion everything for our children. But if you are going to move them from dependence to independence—sometimes you’ve got to remove the padding. Sometimes we make it too, too, too easy for our young people.