Free-Falling

“A mother eagle builds a comfortable nest for her young, padding it with feathers from her own breast. But the God-given instinct that builds that secure nest also forces the eaglets out of it before long. Eagles are made to fly, and the mother eagle will not fail to teach them. Only then will they become what they are meant to be.

So one day the mother eagle will disturb the twigs of the nest, making it an uncomfortable place to stay. Then she will pick up a perplexed eaglet, soar into the sky and drop it. This little bird will begin to free-fall. Where is Mama now? She is not far away. Quickly, she will swoop under and catch the fledgling on one strong wing. She will repeat this exercise until each eaglet is capable of flying on its own.”

My friend Mayet shared this story with me. She came across this tale of the mother eagle and her eaglets from Our Daily Bread during her time of indecision, when she stood at the crossroads, at a loss and desperately praying for God’s guidance.

Like me, Mayet is one mother who is now struggling with the same questions every mother through the centuries haven gone through at one point or another: when it is time to let go? When is it time to let our babies out of sheltering wings and into the open? When is it time to let them venture into the unknown?

From the very first moment we held their tiny forms into our arms, we mothers have our paths laid out for us. Our every waking moment is dedicated to caring for our children, ensuring that their needs are provided for, seeing to it that at all times, they are sheltered from all danger and harm.

But time must come when we must ask: are we shielding them too much? What if we have become a mother eagle who is too afraid to let her eaglets out of the comfort zone that is their nest? Then, we would fail our duty of teaching them to become what they are meant to be.

Are we ready to let our precious ones do the free-fall? Are we going to be swift enough to catch them? Will our wings be strong enough?

Our children have been too sheltered all throughout their young lives. Are we ready to let them join the real world? Do we have the heart to throw them where they would either have to swim or sink? Will it be for their best interests? How will we know that we have chosen the right path for them? Will there be regrets later on?

So many questions … and we don’t see comforting answers in the horizon.