In spiritual life as well as natural life there is a principle: "No pain — no gain!" We are all like those little eaglets. Although the Bible tells us we are on a pilgrimage through a world that is not our home, we love comfort and ease. We love to settle down by our little oasis and enjoy the dates and sunshine. We are comfortable where we are. We do not want to move on through the wilderness experiences with their hardships, to our promised land. We hear the Word and enjoy the preaching. Sometimes we find it downright entertaining. Life is good and comfortable. When the Lord speaks to us, we're too distracted by our comfort to hear Him. But then God decides it is time for us to do some growing up — and things change rapidly. Suddenly problems, pain and suffering hit us. We begin "rebuking the devil," complaining and crying, but all to no avail. When the pain and suffering has done its work of getting our attention, when we are again willing to wait on Him and listen to His voice. He shows us what is next on His agenda for us. God is going to teach us "... to mount up with wings as eagles. "

Flying Lessons. The mother eagle "taketh them, beareth them on her wings. " At this point in the training process the eaglet is so happy to get out of the thorny nest, it takes little persuasion to get him to leap on mother eagle's back and fix his talons securely into the pinions of her sturdy wings. Junior eaglet is about to take his first flying lesson. With Junior firmly fixed to her back, mother eagle leaps from the nest and soars out over the valley. The eaglet is airborne for the first time. Mother eagle catches an updraft and soars up, up and up until she and the eaglet are several thousand feet above the valley below. "Isn't this fun!" thinks the eaglet.

"It's time to fly, little eaglet!" Without warning, mother eagle abruptly executes a diving outside loop and Junior is tossed to the wind to begin flight. Terrified, the little eaglet struggles, clumsily flapping his new wings, trying desperately to control his fate. Down, down, down the eaglet plummets to apparent imminent destruction. Just when all hope is gone, the eaglet feels the mother's strong back coming up under its talons as she swoops under him, breaking his fall. Again he fastens his talons into his mother's strong pinions, safe once more. Again mother eagle soars up, up, up to repeat the whole episode again. Each time he falls, the eaglet learns a little more, until finally he can glide and "... mount up with wings, as eagles. "How thrilling to fly on his own wings rather than on his mother's back. Like the eaglets, we respond to God's call to the ministry, "to mount up with wings as eagles. " We think this is a wonderful idea. Before long we will be "flying high." But God mercifully hides from us the anxiety, pain and suffering involved in our preparation and training. We do not understand what it will cost. God allows uncomfortable situations to pushes us to fully surrender.  When we graduate, we optimistically launch out expecting instant success and glory. For a short time things go well; then all of a sudden the bottom falls out. Problems erupt among the brothers and sisters.

 Everything starts going wrong. People who used to be our friends aren't as close anymore. We discover they withdrew from us "because they didn't want to be identified with a loser." Does that sound familiar? What is happening? We're learning to fly. These adversities and troubles push us into faith growth and greater reliance on the Holy Spirit. We're learning to mount up above all the adversities. We're learning what Paul meant, "... having done all to stand, stand therefore. " When everything is falling around us, we are learning to stand on our Rock, Jesus Christ.