The Golden Eagle

An Arkie's Faith column from the April 3, 2019, issue of The Mena Star.

The sun is still below the horizon as I walk on the beach listening to the sound of the waves. The moon is full and hanging low in the horizon to the west. The beach is transformed by the white-silver light of the moon, which gives the morning a magical, otherworldly feel. As each wave rolls in from the Pacific Ocean, it rushes over the flat, hard-packed sand of Long Beach. As the water retreats to the ocean, it leaves a glossy mirror-like finish. For a moment, the soft glimmering moonlight shone on the mirrored beach leaving a pale silver trail. All too soon the mirrored finish of the beach was gone, and the next wave rolled in. This wave too left a mirror-like finish that reflected the moonlight. The scene repeated itself over and over as I walked along the beach.

While walking on the beach, I thought about how incredibly beautiful it was. It was hard for me to believe that no one else was there to witness it. For as far as I could see in either direction, there was no one else on the beach. Long Beach is the world's longest beach on a peninsula. It stretches 28 miles along Washington's southwest coast. One of the most interesting things about Long Beach is that you can drive on it. The beach is an official Washington State highway with a 25-mph speed limit.

After my early morning walk on the beach, I returned to my car and started driving back to the condo where we were spending a long weekend at a family reunion. That morning I had driven on the beach from the condo to the southernmost point of the beach. There the rocky outcroppings of the Cape Disappointment headlands are a natural barrier at the end of the beach. As I was driving back, enjoying the view and the surreal experience of driving on a beach, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Coming up beside me on my right was a very large bird. I slowed down to get a better look. I could see that it was an eagle with a tremendous wingspan. Because of its dark brown coloration and large size, I knew that it was a golden eagle.

The magnificent bird kept pace with me, or maybe I was keeping pace with the eagle. We traveled together down the beach for what seemed like a long time although it was probably only about a minute. Golden Eagles are one of the largest birds in North America, and to be that close to a bird with a 7-foot wingspan is a surreal experience. The eagle commanded my attention, with its spreading wings as broad as they were powerful. It seemed to be intentionally staying right beside my car just a few feet away. Seeing the majestic bird resplendent in the early morning light was a wonderfully spellbinding experience. The encounter ended when with a mighty burst from its wings, the eagle accelerated upward and was soon soaring high into the air. I watched until I could no longer see the eagle.

As the eagle disappeared from view, I remembered Isaiah 40:31 (NLT); “those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” The sight of an eagle flying is an impressive sight. Because of the size of these striking birds, and the ease and confidence with which they fly, watching an eagle fly always intrigues me. Eagles use the air currents to cover miles of ground with minimum effort. A small movement of their wings every now and again is all it takes for the eagle to continue soaring.

How can an eagle soar to such heights with minimal energy? Eagles have very long, large wings. It takes a lot of energy to flap such large wings. Jon. M. Gerrard and Gary R. Bortolotti are scientists who have spent many hours observing eagle. They wrote: "Eagles are capable of sustained flapping flight, but they usually spend little time doing it. During the month when one of the female eagles was observed intensively, she averaged less than 2 minutes per hour in flapping flight. That is not surprising when one considers the large expenditure of energy required to power the huge wings. The energy needed to maintain a bird in flat soaring or gliding flight is much less, perhaps a 20th or less the power needed for flapping. Therefore, eagles will always choose to soar or glide when possible."

That is why eagles often soar on thermals until they reach a great altitude, and then use the gliding/soaring method of flying to cover the longest distance using the smallest amount of energy. An eagle makes flying look effortless. When we insist on being in control and doing things in our own power, we are like an eagle who doesn’t soar. We quickly tire out and get nowhere. Psalm 46:10 (NASB) says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” To find strength, we need to put our trust in God. In Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) the bible tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Gentle Reader, spread your wings and soar like an eagle. The only thing that limits you is how much you trust in God. When you trust Him, He has promised you strength. In Philippians 4:19 (NASB) Paul writes, “my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” When you put your trust in Him, God will supply your needs and renew your strength so that you can soar like an eagle.