A Falcon and a Follower

I listened intently as a friend described with such enthusiasm his hobby of training a falcon to hunt small creatures in the wild. I was so enamored by the work he put into training this bird that I continued to ask questions.

The description of catching the bird, giving it proper care, rewarding good behavior, and disciplining unwanted habits are all part of the process to training the bird to obey his commands. Over and over he continued to mention that the key to successfully training the bird, nonetheless, was actually placed on the bird itself.

I can remember him saying multiple times, "the bird's hunger must become greater than his fear." What fear? I suppose there may be a discontented fear to retreat. Instinctively, the bird has a fear that this man wouldn't have the bird's best interest in mind.

This bird that once lived in the wild, suited with incredible instincts to position itself to attack its prey is being fed from the hand of its keeper. Now, the bird lives under the authority, supervision, and subjected rule of his master.

There is no doubt that my friend is doing and will continue to do whatever is necessary to provide not only the necessities for this bird but also the perks of being a well-trained subject of his falconing endeavors. 

How familiar does that sound to being a follower of Christ? God, in Christ, has called us out of the darkness where we attempted to prey on the things of this world, realizing that we have never really been satisfied by the temporal things of this earth.

This Christian life requires radical obedience to our master. We must submit to His leadership in our lives. Our faith must defy the fear of the unknown and trust Him to provide for all the needs we have as His servant.

Matthew 5:6 says "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied." Our appetite must crave the righteousness of God. Philippians 4:19 says that "our God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory." We must trust that His hand and provision for our lives is enough.

Is your hunger for God overcoming your fear? Is He becoming the treasure that truly satisfies the deepest longing of your soul?