The Hidden Eagle

Read: Jeremiah 18:3-6

“What are you making, Grandpa?” Elena asked, walking over to the porch swing where her grandfather was shaving slivers from a small block of wood.

Grandpa held it up to show her. “There’s an eagle trapped in this wood, and I’m setting it free.”

Elena looked closely at the block in his hands and then up at Grandpa. “I don’t see anything in there.”

Grandpa smiled. “Oh, it’s there all right.” He turned the wood block in his hand. “I’ll show it to you later this evening.”

When they all sat down to dinner that evening, Grandpa placed a newly carved eagle beside Elena’s plate.

“There you are, young lady,” he said with a wink. “There’s the eagle I set free from the wood.”

Elena’s eyes grew wide with amazement. “Wow!” she said. “It’s so pretty!”

“I want you to have it,” Grandpa said. “And whenever you look at it, I want you to remember that Jesus has done the same with you.”

“Jesus made me like this eagle?” Elena asked.

Grandpa nodded. “You couldn’t see the eagle in the block of wood this morning, but I could. I freed it from the wood and carved it into a special creation. It doesn’t look like an old block of wood anymore, does it?”

“No,” Elena said, picking up the sculpture. “Now it’s a beautiful eagle!”

“Right,” said Grandpa. “And that’s what Jesus does for us. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to save us, and when we put our faith in Him, He sets us free from sin and makes us new people. We’re no longer blocks of wood but new, beautiful creations. But sometimes we lose sight of that when we face difficult circumstances or make bad choices. That’s why I made you this eagle—to help you remember that you’re a beautiful sculpture in God’s hands. You can always trust Him to forgive your mistakes and guide you in His plan for your life.”

Elena looked at the eagle again. “Thank you, Grandpa,” she said. “I’m going to put this on my dresser where I’ll see it every day!”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Did you know that, if you trust in Jesus, you’re like a beautiful eagle carved out of wood? You’re no longer stuck in a block of sin—He’s set you free and has made you into something new. The Bible compares God to an artist—a potter—molding you into something beautiful. Trust Him to forgive you when you mess up and to guide your steps as you live your life as a new creation.

Today’s key verse: For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Jesus makes us beautiful