The Chicken vs. The Eagle

 

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” –1 Corinthians 15:33 AMP

I’m sure you’ve heard the term, ‘birds of a feather flock together’.  Meaning, people with same interests, goals, and behaviors stick together.  What do the people you spend time with say about you?

Psalm 1 reads, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.  But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”

Let’s look at the Chicken vs. the Eagle.  Both a species of bird, but vastly different.

Chickens are gregarious (fond of company) birds and live together in flocks.  They often scratch at the soil to search for seeds or insects, hardly looking up.  Chickens have wings, but are only capable of flying short distances.  They establish a ‘pecking order’, with dominant chickens having priority for food access and nesting locations. 

 An Eagle is a large bird of prey, renowned for its keen sight and powerful soaring flight.  Most eagles have short tails and broad long wings allowing them to soar high above open plains and water.  Eagles are admired the world over as living symbols of power, freedom, and transcendence.  The eagle is the symbol of mercy in Jewish culture.  Even though the eagle is a bird of prey and it needs to eat small animals to survive, it is kind at heart.  Naturalists are amazed by the delicate and gentle consideration an eagle will show to its children, or eaglets.  A pair of eagles are faithful to each other, staying together year after year, returning to the same nest each season.

Are you spending your time with chickens or eagles?  Chickens have a limited view of the world, only able to fly short distances, accustomed to looking down.  Eagles are powerful, loyal birds, kind and gentle, able to soar and explore.  So I ask you, do you want to cluck with the chickens, or soar with the eagles?

Margaret Slaughter