Eagle or Prairie Chicken?

We've had a lot of fun using this story in past meetings. My favorite part is getting to role play the mannerisms of the Prairie Chicken. But on Tuesday night they asked me to do an encore on the Eagle, and it compelled me to share these stories in the blog. I realize the impact may be much greater in person, but may the good Lord let this bring much joy to your heart none the less.

One day an Indian had gone on a nature walk, and he spotted an Eagle's egg that had been misplaced, laying just out of reach of its nest where the young brave could put it back. So he took it back home with him and put it into the nest of a Prairie Chicken. When it hatched, the Eagle was raised by those Prairie Chickens, and throughout his life thought he was in fact, a Prairie Chicken.

The Prairie Chickens rarely lifted their heads as they ate worms and grubs (leftovers) off the ground as they bucked and plucked continuously throughout the days. (To make this story a little more real, just stand up please and emulate a bucking and plucking PC for just a few seconds and it will make you feel part of this.) 

One day that Eagle who thought he was a PC lifted his head and saw this majestic bird soaring high above and and remarked, "Man I wish I could fly like that." One of the PC's replied, "Yeah, that's an Eagle, but you are a Prairie Chicken, and always will be." So the Eagle who thought he was a PC lived his life like a PC and died thinking that was all he was.

Our point, God made us to be Eagles (Isaiah 40:30-31 as an example), but to do so we have to quit hanging around Prairies Chickens that keep us from soaring as he intended us to do. Our addictions have become those PCs who have held us back from realizing our full potential of life.

So, as we did in those meetings where this story was shared, you must repeat after me, and also many times to yourself this week:

I ain't no Prairie Chicken, I'm an Eagle! Makes you feel a whole lot better about God's vision for your life. We are worth way more than leftovers.