Hooded Falcon

My wife, son and I recently had the opportunity to tour the U.S. Air Force Academy campus in Colorado Springs during Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra's concert tour there (my wife and I were chaperones, while my son played in the orchestra).  As the tour concluded, one of the cadet guides directed us to walk up the trail toward the visitor center and gift shop:

"...and as you enter the building, you'll get to see Destiny, one of the Academy's falcon mascots...and yes, you'll be able to pet her...."

Pet a falcon?  Now that sounded kind of exotic.  I've held snakes, touched tarantulas, and even allowed giant African millipedes to crawl on my arms, but I had never gotten within an arm's length of a falcon.  I recalled seeing glimpses of a peregrine falcon in action during a bird show at Sea World in San Diego.  After being entertained by owls, eagles and fowls of many kinds, the audience was directed to strain our eyes toward a pole over a hundred yards away where the falcon stood.  I could barely make out the silhouette of a bird, and at the appropriate signal, it suddenly disappeared from view, and the air was filled with two high-pitched shrieks as the raptor buzzed over our heads, gracefully landed on the trainer's gloved hand, and the audience released a collective gasp of awe at the bird's speed and agility.  Would a falcon actually allow a stranger like me to touch her?

Sure enough, Destiny, a gyr falcon, was standing on his handler's glove inside the visitor center, and as I approached, the handler moved the bird toward me so that I could touch her.  As I stroked the soft, feathery belly, I noticed that her head was covered in a bright leather hood.  I was informed that falcons have eyesight that is so acute that they can literally read print from a newspaper a hundred yards away, and because they rely so much on eyesight for orientation, covering the head with a hood would prevent the bird from being able to interact with the environment around her, and would calm her down.

Sort of like blindfolding and handcuffing a prisoner to subdue her.  I felt kind of sorry for the "disabled" bird, but was also grateful that her beak and claws did not know where my face was.

We often act like hooded falcons when we are called to acts of Christian service and sacrifice.  When asked to give, we worry that we don't have enough money, and fail to see that God is the ultimate provider of our needs.  When asked to serve, we offer excuses that we're too busy, we're not good enough, we're not spiritual enough, or that God hasn't actually spoken to us about serving.  We just stand there, paralyzed by fear, anxiety or ignorance.

Thankfully, God does not leave us "hooded" when He calls and sends his people to new ventures.  While Moses led the Israelites in the desert, God's presence was visibly demonstrated as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  As the Israelites were about to enter the promised land under Joshua's leadership, Moses told the people:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Moses also spoke to Joshua:

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Similarly, after Jesus gave the "Great Commission" to "make disciples of all nations", he offered the assurance of his everlasting presence:

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20b)

May our daily lives and service not be blinded by fear and anxiety, and may God be our vision and light.  May our prayer include the words of the popular hymn:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,

naught be all else to me, save that thou art;

Thou my best thought by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.