THE CHALLENGE OF KNOWING

THE CHALLENGE OF KNOWING

During the Old Testament era, God unveiled a simple yet powerful truth through the Prophet Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) Self-awareness is mission critical, but it can be extremely elusive, especially in the presence of background noise or distracting voices. Resultantly, many live and die without ever realizing their true identity or actualizing their purpose.

It reminds me of the story of a farmer who found a displaced eagle’s egg.  Failing to recognize its true identity, he gingerly placed the egg in the nest of a barnyard hen.  Soon afterwards, the eaglet hatched.  Naturally, he assumed that the hen was his natural mother and the brood of chicks were siblings.

So all of his life, the eagle did whatever chickens customarily do, assuming his destiny was intrinsically tied to residents of that barnyard.  He scratched the earth for worms and insects.  He clucked and cackled.  And occasionally, he would thrash his wings and fly just a few feet in the air.  He was dramatically shaped and limited by his ‘home environment’ and by his response to the same.

Years passed by, and the eagle grew old.  In his declining years, he spied a beautiful bird flying high above in the cloudless sky.  This magnificent creature glided in graceful majesty through powerful currents of wind.  And it soared to lofty elevations with scarcely a beat of its gorgeous golden wings.

The old eagle gazed upwards in total awe and wonder.  “Who is that?” he whispered.

“That’s the eagle, king of all birds,” offered an observant barnyard neighbor.  “HE belongs to the sky.  WE belong to the earth – we are chickens.”  So the poor displaced eagle lived and died as a chicken, for that’s exactly who he thought he was and all he might ever be. 

Hear me, eagles!  If you always seem to be out of place and never quite able to fit in, it may well be that GOD is trying to tell you something.  I challenge you to take out your mirror, which is “the perfect law of liberty,” and to start seeing yourself through the eyes of your CREATOR. (James 1:25) Jesus Christ declares, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Knowing yourself is indeed a challenge, but the future rewards are absolutely amazing.  Start today.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!