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.
One writer goes on to say—that if that does not work—the mother or father eagle will take that nest and literally turn that nest upside down.
• Every now and then you want your children to think you crazy. (I have a 3 year old son—every now and then I want him to think I’ve lost my mind.) Because the day will come soon when I will have to move him from dependence to independence. And sometimes I want him to think that Daddy will turn everything upside down to see me fly!!!
• The reason for this disturbing activity—is that this mother or father eagle was to say in a real sense—that you were meant for something better. You see, the next was not designed for GROWN eagles!!!
- ‘But you see that’s my son…I know he should get him a job—but that’s my baby’. The nest is not designed for grown eagles.
• My children will know Daddy and Momma will do everything in their power to put you through school and college—but you need to know that I’m changing to locks on the house. I’ve already made plans for the extra rooms in the house—what I will do with them when they move out. Because the nest was not designed for grown eagles.
You would laugh at a big old eagle sitting in a little nest.
It is also as if that mother/parent/father eagle was saying—I could feed you as a little eaglet—but I don’t have the capacity/strength to feed you if you just sit here in the nest. You’ve got to disturb some things at home if you want to move your children from dependence to independence.
Don’t misunderstand me—I love my children just as I love the church I pastor—but as I love my children and I love the people with whom I shepherd, but I love them enough to understand that in order to push them toward their destiny/potential that there will come a point in their lives where I will have to do some disturbing things.
Not only does this Eagle teach us to DISTURB—it teaches us to DRAW NEAR.
The text says that ‘it fluttereth over her young’. When this mother eagle would turn this next upside down/would remove the cushioning and the padding from this nest—she flutters her wings over them as if to say ‘Don’t worry—I’m still here!’.
And when you get ready to help your children grow up, you don’t leave them—but you kind of let them know ‘Daddy hasn’t lost his mind/Mamma has not lost her mind…I’m still here—but there are going to be some things different around here from now on.’ I haven’t left you—I’m still right here!!!
To draw near in several ways. Sometimes it is merely by some word of encouragement. Sometimes as parents—we don’t say enough nice things to our children. Now—we have a whole lot to say when they get in trouble. But you should find a lot to say when they are doing good. When they bring home a good grade—you ought to take out a lot of time to talk about that—because if they bring home a bad one you are going to raise hell about that!!! That when you shake up things you ought to have a word of encouragement.
Not only a word of encouragement—you ought to be supportive of worthy goals. We need to learn how to support our children. This eagle fluttereth her wings over her children to let them know ‘I’m still here’.
You ought be able to tell your child: Momma and Daddy wants you to know that there are some goals you have set for YOURSELF. And it’s my job to make sure that nothing stands in your way of your reaching your goals—not EVEN yourself!!! So Momma or Daddy is going to get behind you 100% for your to reach you WORTHY goals. Now you don’t need me to help you mess up/for you to be a drop out—you can do that by yourself. But if you want to be something worthwhile in life—here I am…I’ve got my wings fluttering over you. I will support your worthy goals!!!
This eagle disturbs, draws near; but then we find this parent eagle DEMONSTRATING.
Look at the text. The text says that she ‘spreadeth abroad her wings’. In other words, this text says that she is saying to the eaglets ‘Now look at me…this is how it’s done.’
And that’s what you’ve got to do if you are going to move your children from dependence to independence—you have to be able to say…now look at me…this is how you work it…watch me.
• Your children are an accurate reflection of who you are. And what you’ve got to learn to do is to spread your wings and declare ‘class is in session now….look at me…watch how I handle this (adversity)’.
• Your children watch you. They learn how to handle people by watching you.
- If your children are ugly with other people—you need to go back and check how you’ve been spreading your wings.
- If your children have a foul mouth and you’ve been cussing since they’ve been born—spread your wings.
Honest moment: As Pastor of Cornerstone Church I watch how children respond to me; because that’s an indicator of what their parents are saying about me. Because children and basically and simply anti-hypocrticial. Grown folk will smile in your face and say they are glad to see you and don’t even like you. But children have yet to have learned to art of being phony—so they won’t say anything to you. But you have to learn how to demonstrate and show them how it is done. How to love the unlovable/how to keep your mouth when you want to gossip/how to pray for your enemy/how to rejoice when your back is up against the wall/how to be genuinely grateful when God blesses your neighbor—you’ve got to spread your wings.
- This is how you handle people/problems
• It is no sense you complaining about your children hiding behind some drug/methanphetomine/line of cocaine—when you’ve been coming home to Michelob/when you’ve got your open bar at home/when you’ve so inebriated you can’t even make it to your bedroom.
But if you’re going to train them—you’ve got to spread your wings.
You also have to show them how to handle prosperity.
- You have to show them that having something doesn’t have to make you crazy.
• If you go crazy just because you get a good 15 cents above your breakfast money—don’t expect them to do anything but go crazy when they get a good job when they graduate out of college.
You’ve got demonstrate to them not only how to handle people, problems and prosperity; but how to deal with the pressures of life.
- Spread your wings and show them—this is how it’s done.
You teach them that you don’t run from you problems. You stand there and you deal with your problems.
• Some of us are so busy trying to give our children what we didn’t have that we neglect to give them what we DID have.
- And ONE thing the old folk taught us (they may not have taught us how to make a lot of money/get a new car every year/live in a 3,000 sq foot house)—but they taught us they knew how to handle the problems of life. You didn’t find them committing suicide/trying to get out of a marriage because somebody wasn’t acting right/running from church to church because they got mad with sister so and so—they learned how to handle their problems.
And if you are going to parent like an eagle—you’ve got to spread your wings and say—this is how it’s done.
Not only do we find this eagle disturbing the nest, drawing near and demonstrating. But we find this eagle DEVELOPING them.
The text here says ‘She taketh them’. Now what that is (taketh is LAWKAH in Hebrew)—is that she says I am going to have to teach you and develop you. Now the word develop is broken down into two words: DE—which means to take off; VELOP—which means to wrap. Which means that to develop something means to unwrap it. That what she does is—she puts those little eaglets on her back, she takes them up into the heights and she shakes them off and says ‘It’s your turn’.
And parents, every now and then, you need to shake them off. You’ve got to let them start making some decisions and say ‘Alright, I’ve taught you what to do—but you’ve got to decide for yourself’.
• Far too many of us—we allow our children to ride on our back until we are bent over with arthritis and rumertism—because they’ve been riding too long. But there comes a time when you’ve got to take them up and shake them off!
YES—they sometimes will fall/fumble/falter—but that mother eagle will come along and pick them up again.
• The fear of your child’s failure should not come at the expense of your not giving the test. Because somebody said ‘The more you TRY the better you FLY!’
Proverbs 24:16 declares that ‘a righteous man falls 7 times—but he rises up again’. You’ve got to learn how to tell your child ‘you may be knocked down but that doesn’t mean you have to be knocked out’. You’ve got to learn how to shake them off and if they fail or fumble or falter—tell them that the game is not over—‘He who has begun a good work in your shall complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.’
• You’ve got to learn how to develop your children.
• You aren’t helping your child, as the old folk used to say, by keeping them tied to your apron strings. You have to tell them now this is what your daddy wants you to do—but you’ve got to make up your mind for yourself. And you have to be WILLING to deal with the consequences of your decision. You have to learn how to shake them off—you can’t hold their hand through everything.
As my child gets older and older every day—18 will be here before you know. And I have discovered that there will come a point that I will have to let a little more rope out every year and teach him how to make godly decisions established upon the word of God and saturated by prayer.
• If I don’t teach him how to make good and godly decisions in my house—I cannot expect him to make good and godly decisions outside of my house. (I’m not advocating letting your children run you and run the house—NO. But what I am suggesting is that you’ve got to develop your child to make decisions for themselves while you can. Because there are people who are 25 and 30 and 35 years old who can’t make decisions for themselves—because mamma and daddy made decisions for them.)
• My developing my child may not make for perfection—but it will teach and train my child how to aim in the right direction.
This eagle disturbs, draws near, demonstrates, develops. But this parent eagle is prepared to DELIVER. That the text says, ‘Beareth them on her wings”. Now taking and bearing are not the same words (taking is lawkaw, bearing is nasa). The idea of bearing is that when they fall—can’t you see that eagle is falling—and though that eaglet is far away—she’s got her eye on that eaglet. And that eaglet keeps on falling down to the ground. But just before that eaglet crashes and hits the ground—that mother eagle swoops down and bears them up.
That’s what Mamma and Daddy are for—sometimes your children will look like they are going to hit to ground. What you are there for is to have your eagle eyes open so that you can catch them just before they hit the ground.
Somebody says now ‘preaching, I’m no eagle’. I beg to differ with you. For there is a text that the prophet Isaiah writes and says ‘they that wait upon the Lord.’ Now that word wait means to intertwine themselves. Those who wrap themselves around the Lord/tie themselves with the Lord—they shall mount up with wings of eagles.
• We’ve got too many chicken parents in the church—we need some eagle parents.
• We have too many ostrich parents in the church—we need some eagle parents.
But I’m so glad that God is the ultimate parent. For when we would need to grow up—He comes along and disturbs our nest. I’m so glad that when we would need to be comforted—He draws near and tells us that we are his own. I’m so glad that on a hill called Calvary that he demonstrated his love for us. That sometimes He takes us up and He shakes us off. And sometimes we try to fly—and the more we try—the better we fly.
But sometimes—when the storms of life began to rage and the tempest begins to blow—and feel like you are going to hit the ground—He came through and lifted you up.
