A poignant look at how faith and the ability to believe is all that's needed to ascend to the next level of achievement. How high do you want to fly to attain it?
How faithful you are to Divine order will spell the difference between success and failure. “I believe I can fly” the song says...if you truly believe that you CAN, you will! It’s amazing to me how much we can learn from animals. Existing with them in this world has allowed us to be cognizant of their habits and the essence of their presence. Many places in the Bible there are references to animals, i.e., snakes, sheep, doves, a donkey, etc. My favorite, bar none, is the eagle! Why the eagle? In Isaiah we are told that “if we trust in the Lord we would find new strength and fly high like eagles”...well, let’s see how we can be faithful in doing this as it pertain to our choice on becoming the best authors that we can be. I would like to share some characteristics of eagles that we, both as believers and as astute caretakers of applying words to illustrate our stories can be definitive. The first thing you learn about eagles is the fact that they have keen eyesight, they are powerful and impeccable hunters, and they are ever mindful of their prey or enemies. For lack of a better choice of words, do you know who YOUR adversaries are in the publishing world? Who is it, or what circumstance(s) that may have kept you from impressing that acquisition editor or that specific publishing house that you aspired to join? Paul in Ephesus had a unique problem and warned the Ephesians that enemies are NOT flesh and blood, but are ‘spiritual’ Now, stop and think about that for a moment. If our enemies are not of the human variety, then what significance does the spiritual have to do with writing a book or satisfying our muse? I’m led to believe that anything spiritual could embody that which is unseen but has jurisdiction on what we do, how we do it and to what affect thereof. I will take it a little further by saying that we definitely need keen spiritual eyesight to discern the plans and agenda of Satan as he tries to thwart our best intentions. Our ‘enemies’ may not be what we fathom an enemy to be in the form of lions, tigers or bears, but they are dangerous and destructive in their own right.
Secondly, eagles build their aeries high up beyond human reach. Mind now, our nests where our visions and dreams are waiting to be born should also be high. But are they? We persist well within the reach of anyone willing to do us harm. Again, we can learn a lot about eagles! Your ‘home’, or that which you’d want to claim as your ultimate domain must not be so trivial that you place it so low that would allow people to trample on your goals...by people who may not be in the same lane as you are running your race to the literary finish line. To succeed and be successful in anything we write must be thought of in idealistic terms as big and soaring high. Oh yes, we can fly only if we think we can. You must not be so prideful and let your ego tell you otherwise, and not think of yourselves more highly than you should. God said use humility to guide you to be as humble as it take to be rewarded. Our personal journeys to transcend to lofty heights in our goals to become successful authors should predicate all that Isaiah intones in the scripture. It’s no accident that it’s one of the most popular verses in the bible, used extensively in Christian circles, reflective of people's desires to live lives of significance, full of physical health, emotional fortitude, spiritual strength...but it can also be effective outside of ecclesiastical verve. As we write our stories and live outside of our imagery we cannot afford to ignore the promises God espoused in this verse. I feel that our immediate future will always be bright with promise and hope of affluence, respect and personal gain if we dare to fly and soar like eagles.
My main purpose here is to remind you how focused and absolute we should be to write exponentially and with confidence despite the ills that surround the literary diaspora. Reach for the stars and be able to land among those that have already tasted success to have the same mindset collectively. I’ve met quite a few people of late who cannot get off the ground, and those that have good intent but are not preparing their wings to negotiate the draft to soar. They are distracted and lack the stamina to pursue and maintain great heights. I’m sure you know a few yourself. As mention earlier, eagles have great vision for peripheral insight; they can see great distances. We too, must be able to see beyond what’s on the surface of our literary lives...we must be resilient and resplendent in how we wear the raiment of God’s inner clothing. Another interesting fact about eagles is the fact that they do not eat dead meat! Unlike other animals or birds they do not eat what they do not kill...in other words they are not scavenger birds feeding off of other birds but hunt for their own food. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Simple. It means that the writer in you must not be lazy and be alert enough to embrace the rudiments of good research; be quite content to ride on the dreams and visions of your own and not steal the dreams and visions of others. The prerequisite to develop your own story is a must!
As I close this piece, I’m reminded of how the promises of God is incumbent on us realizing that in us He gave a blueprint for success and how to get there. I can’t help repeating this: on the wings of eagles He said that we should “wait upon the Lord, shall renew our strength; we shall mount up with wings like eagles, that we shall run and not be weary; and walk and not faint.” What profound words of wisdom are these! No one said it would be easy where writing would be a natural course to traverse without trial and error, without a little trauma somewhere along the way...without what is necessary to trudge on and let indelible ink flow the way it should once we persevere. What would it take to build legacies, and hope for a future that is composed in pipe dreams and hopes for a better book? It is to be committed to the the wherewithal to go as high as we can for faith to guide us. I implore us all to think about how strong, powerful and relentless eagles are, and strive to mount up on the wings of those great avian creatures propelling ourselves to new heights. What then are YOU doing to fly and soar like eagles?
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