Just an eagle?
My boys and I spent some time in Yellowstone National Park over the weekend. On the way out of the park and back to the campground on Saturday evening, we noticed several cars pulled over to the side of the road. This, if you're not familiar with Yellowstone, is an indication that there is some sort of wildlife worth gazing at.
As we got out of our car to see what the fuss was about, a tourist from another country told us that it was "just an eagle" and pointed across the Madison river. There, perched high atop the tallest tree, which happened to be dead, was a very majestic looking Bald Eagle.
We looked through our binoculars at the bird and as we did, my mind started to form some thoughts I wish I'd shared with the foreigner. "Just an eagle?"
As we talked about this later around the campfire, I told my sons this:
I think the man we saw today doesn't understand what seeing a bald eagle means to an American. This proud, majestic bird represents what we are as a people. It may have been just an eagle to him, but to us, it represents strength, resolve, and most importantly, freedom. For the man who doesn't live in America, he wouldn't understand why it was such a thrill to three very tired and dirty men who thought it was the coolest thing they'd seen all day.
Our viewpoints are often skewed by our beliefs. This man was just a visitor to our country and the things we hold important were unimportant to him because our frame of reference was different. If he'd taken the time to understand a little bit about our country he'd know that seeing a bald eagle is a rarity for most of us and a thing to behold when seen.
I think there are some parallels to be drawn with our own beliefs and faith. What we believe about God and Jesus is based often on what we think we know or what we have been taught at an early age, coupled with our own world views. My views about who God is opens new vistas when visiting a place like Yellowstone. I look at it as a gift from Him to us; a place that demonstrates all the wonder and majesty of His creation. Seeing a bald eagle perched atop a tree overlooking a river just made me remember how very blessed I am to live so close to such a place. And how blessed we all are that such a place is in a country such as ours. I know God better than I used to and it's because I got away from my own views of who God is and what I thought about the world. I used to think that Yellowstone was cool because of all the things there. Now I view it through the eyes of a believer in God and am in awe of how it works.
Just an eagle?
Hardly.
As we got out of our car to see what the fuss was about, a tourist from another country told us that it was "just an eagle" and pointed across the Madison river. There, perched high atop the tallest tree, which happened to be dead, was a very majestic looking Bald Eagle.
We looked through our binoculars at the bird and as we did, my mind started to form some thoughts I wish I'd shared with the foreigner. "Just an eagle?"
As we talked about this later around the campfire, I told my sons this:
I think the man we saw today doesn't understand what seeing a bald eagle means to an American. This proud, majestic bird represents what we are as a people. It may have been just an eagle to him, but to us, it represents strength, resolve, and most importantly, freedom. For the man who doesn't live in America, he wouldn't understand why it was such a thrill to three very tired and dirty men who thought it was the coolest thing they'd seen all day.
Our viewpoints are often skewed by our beliefs. This man was just a visitor to our country and the things we hold important were unimportant to him because our frame of reference was different. If he'd taken the time to understand a little bit about our country he'd know that seeing a bald eagle is a rarity for most of us and a thing to behold when seen.
I think there are some parallels to be drawn with our own beliefs and faith. What we believe about God and Jesus is based often on what we think we know or what we have been taught at an early age, coupled with our own world views. My views about who God is opens new vistas when visiting a place like Yellowstone. I look at it as a gift from Him to us; a place that demonstrates all the wonder and majesty of His creation. Seeing a bald eagle perched atop a tree overlooking a river just made me remember how very blessed I am to live so close to such a place. And how blessed we all are that such a place is in a country such as ours. I know God better than I used to and it's because I got away from my own views of who God is and what I thought about the world. I used to think that Yellowstone was cool because of all the things there. Now I view it through the eyes of a believer in God and am in awe of how it works.
Just an eagle?
Hardly.
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