Severe storms hit the area around Mooseheart, Illinois, last May. The winds were so strong that the bald eagles’ nest was blown 85 feet to the ground, and inside the nest were two young eaglets. They survived the fall but, being only five to six weeks old, they were too young to be able to fly or find food on their own.
Does God care about baby eagles? He certainly does. Does He care about boys and girls? He certainly does. Baby eagles need parents to feed them and take care of them, and God our Father has given most of you boys and girls loving parents who take good care of you. They not only give you good food and warm clothing and a bed to sleep in, but many of your parents tell you about the Saviour, the Lord Jesus, who loves you so much He gave up His life for you.
Do you know what the word “saviour” means? A saviour is one who saves another from danger or death. These little eaglets were going to need a saviour to save them or they would die. Not only could they not find food for themselves, but also there were animals on the ground at night that would like an eaglet or two for dinner.
And boys and girls and grown-ups also need a Saviour. That’s because we are all sinners, and our sins require punishment. The Bible says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)). We need to have our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus that He shed on Calvary’s cross for any who will come to Him to be saved. When our sins are gone, we can live in heaven with Him when our lives here on earth are over. Heaven is a safe and happy place, and there will be no dangerous storms up there.
Before the storms hit Mooseheart, some of the residents in the area had been watching the nest and the activity of the parent birds carrying food to the nest. This told the residents that there were eaglets in the nest, even though they couldn’t see them because the nest was very high off the ground.
After the storms finally moved out, several worried residents checked on the eagles’ nest. They discovered it had been blown to the ground and found the two little eaglets, still alive in the nesting material that had fallen into tall grass under the tree. They saw the parent eagles circling overhead, but they were not coming down to the nest to feed and protect their eaglets.
The residents called wildlife experts who decided they would build a replacement nest of stronger material, using some of the original nesting material inside. Once the replacement nest was securely anchored in a stronger tree, they carefully carried the two eaglets and placed them in the new nest.
Residents watched from a distance to see if the parents would come feed the eaglets. They were seen circling the new nest, but they never came down to feed the young birds. After several days, the wildlife experts felt the eaglets could not survive much longer without food.
A wildlife rehabilitation center was contacted and came to take the eaglets where they would be fed and cared for until they could be returned to the wild. After five months of special care that included training to fly, the rescued eaglets were fully grown, healthy and strong enough to be set free in a state park where many bald eagles return each fall to spend the winter. A river runs through the park that supplies the wintering eagles with ice-free water and plenty of fish to eat. The grown-up eagles were released in the park in November and will have a happy home in their new location.
The Lord Jesus has a happy home already prepared in heaven for boys and girls and grown-ups too who have accepted Him as their Saviour. Have you been washed clean from your sins so heaven with Jesus our Saviour will be your happy home someday?
ML-02/26/2012