Shooting bald eagles — with cameras — is now a popular sport in America. Spotting their high-flying, sharp-sighted majesty is a national pastime. They soar and glide 10,000 feet above earth by catching updrafts. At 50-plus mph, they snatch leaping salmon. “The eagle … spies her prey, from a very great distance” (Job 39:26-29).
Eagles teach us about God. “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself” (Exodus 19:4). “Like an eagle teaching its young to fly … the LORD kept Israel from falling” (Deuteronomy 32:11). “Those who wait on the Lord … shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31).
Eagles are God’s object lessons. Within the nature of eagles, He placed certain homing instincts that can teach us profound lessons about our marriages.
LIFE-MATES
Male and female eaglets are committed. They pair up for life by age five and raise eaglets each season for 20-30 years. Only after one dies will the other seek a new mate.
Such fidelity is rare in “human” marriages today. Emphasis on permanence is lacking. Repeat, review, and remind yourself of your vows. We’re warned: “Pay what you have vowed — better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).
Take wedding vows seriously — God does. Loving vows are happily kept. Cultivate friendship. Spend time together. Talk, listen, date, develop joint habits/hobbies. Stick together in sickness and health. Temper and temptation arise, but the sanctity of our vows safeguards with a failsafe boundary.
God expects us to keep our promises. Have eyes only for each other. Reassure your spouse and cherish the vows you made at the altar.
MONOGAMY
Watching for infiltrators, eagles guard the exclusiveness of their relationship.
Moral failure may begin with personal conversations with the opposite sex. When unfulfilled needs are met, you might drift unwittingly into hazardous waters. Beware of talking about personal things you aren’t discussing with your spouse.
A 2003 USA Today article quoted psychologist and marital researcher Shirley Glass as saying there was a “crisis of infidelity” breeding in the workplace. “The new infidelity is between people who unwittingly form deep, passionate connections before realizing that they’ve crossed the line from platonic friendship into romantic love,” Glass said.
Keep an eagle eye on your home. Be territorial, jealously guarding your exclusive marriage relationship. Men, avoid traveling or dining alone with another woman (and vice versa).
Keep relationships with co-workers professional. Never flirt, even in jest. The strongest marriages are in danger without the proper hedges. Practice vigilance. Seemingly small indiscretions can become major traps.
Source: Baptist Press
David Jeremiah is the founder and host of Turning Point for God and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif. For more information on Turning Point, visit http://www.DavidJeremiah.org. ;
