Falconry is a sport where a hunter uses a bird of prey to hunt other animals. This kind of hunter is called a falconer. He will begin by capturing a young bird, such as a hawk, falcon or even an eagle, and then train it for hunting. In the United States, only a few permits are issued each year that allow a falconer to capture a wild bird of prey.
Brian Kellogg received one of these permits. He traveled to Wyoming where sheep farmers were complaining about the number of lambs disappearing because of eagles. Brian caught a beautiful one-year-old golden eagle and named it Wapaha, which in the Sioux Indian language means “feathered spear.”
Feathered spear is a good description for a golden eagle because of the way these birds fly and hunt. These eagles can soar up to three miles high, and when they dive after prey, they can reach speeds up to two hundred miles an hour! This makes them one of the fastest creatures alive. They have powerful talons (claws) that lock onto their prey. Some full-grown golden eagles have wingspans up to 7 1/2 feet and weigh up to 12 pounds. Their ability to maneuver quickly and easily, along with their speed and power, make them a favorite bird for falconers.
Brian brought Wapaha home to Spanaway, Washington, where he lives, and he taught the bird to hunt. He also built a large aviary (cage) out of posts and wire fencing. The aviary had a large log perch and a roof over part of it to keep the eagle dry in the rain.
Wapaha lived under Brian’s care for seven years. Together they made many hunting trips to eastern Washington.
One day a storm hit the town where they lived with strong winds up to seventy mph. The high winds rattled the gate of the aviary until it blew open. Wapaha launched himself through the opening. Brian saw the bird spread his wings and fly away in the stiff wind. Wapaha was gone! Brian was heartbroken and searched everywhere for the bird.
Have you boys and girls, and grown-ups too, ever stopped to think that you actually belong to God? He not only loves you very much, but He designed you and made you a very special person. We each have wandered into the ways of sin and self-pleasing and left God out of our lives. We have ignored the fact that God loves us far more than our parents love us or than Brian loved his golden eagle. God has said, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:33The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)). With open arms, He is waiting for you to return to Him and His love.
Brian hoped that Wapaha would come back when he got hungry. He blocked the door of the aviary so it would stay wide open, and he also placed some of Wapaha’s favorite food on the log perch.
The golden eagle’s natural home is inland, far away from the sea, but Spanaway in western Washington is close to the ocean. The coastal area only has a few of the animals roaming about that golden eagles naturally prey on. Wapaha would have been looking for food but apparently did not find any. After seven days of flying free, the eagle got very hungry and returned to its home.
Brian was very happy one morning to find Wapaha back on his large perch. The rabbit had been eaten that Brian had laid out to tempt Wapaha to return. He closed the gate, locking the eagle inside.
Wapaha found no food and eventually returned home to the aviary Brian had built for it. Sin puts a great distance between us and God. He is holy because He loves the good and hates the evil. Sin is evil and makes us strangers to God’s love and grace. Ezekiel 18:44Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4) reads, “Behold all souls are Mine. ... The soul that sinneth it shall die.” That death includes being sent out of God’s presence forever to a place of punishment called hell. God doesn’t want this great loss to happen to anyone! To open the only way souls can be saved from their sins, the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth and let Himself be nailed to Calvary’s cross. Because He gave His life as a ransom for sinners, you and I may be delivered from the eternal death we earned by our sins. The punishment you and I deserve in hell for our sins is canceled by God the moment we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour by faith.
If you are looking for peace and happiness down here without God, then you are looking in a place where these will never be found. You must look to God the Father and the heaven-sent Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Be wise, and come home to God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ today.
ML-12/01/2013