Unexpected Visitor

As I finished up a chapter in a book I’ve been reading, I felt prompted to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me…today…in a fresh and clear way…to make His presence known to me in a way that I could not deny His love and acceptance. Within minutes we had an unexpected visitor, someone neither my mom nor I had ever met before, yet we instantly connected and spent much time in conversation. Our visitor’s name is Ms. Sharon and she is a godly woman full of grace and wisdom and willing to sit and share and bless us with stories and memories of love and loss that are truly inspiring. Here is one story she shared that touched us so deeply:

There was a college professor who had a hobby of studying the American bald eagle. One weekend he was driving through Tennessee in search of possibly spying an eagle when he drove by a farm. Something stood out to him, so he turned the car around and pulled up to the Farmer’s house. Speaking with the Farmer, he asked: Sir, are you aware that it is illegal to capture a bald eagle?

The Farmer answered: I’m not sure I know what you are talking about.

Professor: Over there, with your chickens, you have a bald eagle.

Farmer: No, that is just a brown chicken.

Professor: May I prove to you that that is an eagle?

Farmer: Sure, do whatever you need to do.

The Professor went over to the chicken coop and picked up the bird and raised him up to the sky and said, “You’re an eagle, fly!” The bird went straight back to the ground and started walking around among the chickens.

The Professor asked the Farmer if he might try again. The Farmer said, “Do whatever you need to do, but I really think it is just a brown chicken”. So the Professor picked up the bird and climbed to the top of the barn. He held the bird out and said, “You’re an eagle, flap your wings and fly!” The bird went straight back to the ground and walked around among the chickens.

The Professor asked if he might come back early the next day and try one more time to prove that this was in fact an eagle. The Farmer replied, “Yes, do whatever you like, but I’m convinced this is just a brown chicken.”

The Professor showed up early the next day and took the bird to the top of the highest mountain nearby. He held the bird out and said, “Spread wide your wings and soar, you are an eagle!” The bird went down to the ground and started looking at the worms and bugs that were crawling around…things he’d never seen before in the chicken coop.

Then the sun began to rise big and bright and beautiful above the top of the mountain and the bird looked straight into the face of that glowing sun spread his wings and soared straight towards the sun. The Farmer was amazed as that eagle soared away into the brilliancy of the sun.

Ms. Sharon began to sing:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace

She challenged us with this story to look into the face of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, to keep our eyes fixed on Him and soar wherever He leads. To stay focused on Him and not look at the “worms and the bugs” of this world, but to look intently into the face of Christ and follow Him.

After just moments with Ms. Sharon, we loved her and some of the things we chatted about were so specific and personal that I won’t go into detail here, but she followed the Son to our home and we were blessed. We invited her to stop by and visit with us anytime and I trust that she will do just that and we will be gracious recipients of the wisdom and beauty of her life lived for Christ.

Thank you Lord for unexpected visitors, for revealing yourself to us in a fresh way today, for blessing us with new friends and speaking to us from the lips of Your faithful ones.

…so that the older women may encourage the younger women… – Titus 2:4-5