17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. ~ Mark 16:17-18
I heard a story about an eagle who lived his life as a chicken. It goes like this:
A pair of eagles made their nest on a large mountainside. They had 2 large eggs inside the nest. One day, an earthquake rocked the mountain, causing one of the eggs to roll down to a chicken farm located in the valley below. The farmer found the eagle egg and placed it under one of his setting hens. Eventually, the eagle egg hatched along with all the other chicks, and a beautiful eagle was born. Being chickens, the chickens raised the eagle to be a chicken. The eagle loved his home and his family, but it seemed his spirit always cried out for more.
One day, the eagle looked to the skies above and noticed a mighty and majestic bird soaring high above. “Oh,” the eagle cried, “I wish I could soar like that bird.” The chickens roared with laughter, “You cannot soar like those. You are a chicken, and chickens do not soar.” The eagle continued staring at his real family soaring high up above, dreaming that one day he could be just like them. Every time the eagle talked about his dreams of soaring high above the clouds, he was told it is impossible, it will never happen, you are nothing more than a chicken, and chickens cannot soar.
Eventually, the eagle accepted what he was taught and learned to believe it. After a while, the desire of the eagle to soar was quenched, and he stopped dreaming and just continued to live his life as a chicken. Finally, after a long life as a chicken, the eagle passed away, never living up to his full God-given potential.
We, Christians, are full of God-given potential. We are called to make disciples of Christ. That means that we are called to heal the sick, raise the dead, and to drive out demons. But the chickens say signs and wonders ceased when the last Apostle died. They try their best to discourage eagles from expanding their wings of faith. Keep your wingspan short, they say.
Some chickens even believe in healing but refuse to drive out demons. They have nothing to do with the casting out of demons, and just to talk about it makes them sick to their stomachs. They expect us, with so much potential. With so much authority. With such a wide wingspan. With so much mountain-moving faith to live our life as chickens. We are not called to scratch the ground, pecking for our food, eating whatever we find. We are called to soar high above the clouds seeing for miles and miles and miles. We are eagles. Our potential is for greater things than even Jesus did (John 14:12).
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Settle For Being A Chicken.
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