“…they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
The exceptional longevity of an eagle means an eagle is seldom ill. When it does get sick, however, it goes to the highest elevation it can find. It lies on its back and looks directly into the sun. For this purpose, the eagle has an extra pair of thick eyelids. When the eagle closes these eyelids, it can look directly into the sun and not suffer any damage. This sun treatment proves to be therapeutic and often restores the health of the eagle… So that we might look directly into the Son, God has given us the Holy Spirit.
When the ultimate illness comes to an eagle, it climbs to the highest possible elevation and looks into the sun for an entire day. When the sun goes down that evening, the eagle dies.
Have you ever seen an eagle disciple of Jesus Christ die? The first time I intellectually believed the Gospel was when I watched my mother die. She died as an eagle follower of Jesus, looking right into the Son. The godly pastor who was with us had seen scores of saints go home, but said he had never seen anything like what he saw that night.
At the age of 49, she left behind six daughters, five sons and a husband. The last two hours of her life were spent with her family, but she was already in Heaven, talking to Jesus. She often said she never had any peace. We had a little house of about 1,300 square feet with 13 people living in it, so you can understand why she had precious little peace or quiet. In those last hours she kept saying, “Oh, this peace, this peace!”
I believed intellectually at her death, but I did not become a disciple of Jesus Christ for several years because I knew believing involved a commitment. I knew this because my mother had said to me, “If Jesus Christ is anything to you, Dick, He is everything to you. Because, until Jesus Christ is everything to you, He isn’t really anything to you.” My life was changed forever because she lived and died as an eagle disciple of Jesus Christ.
Dick Woodward, As Eagles: How to Be an Eagle Disciple
4SpiritualSecrets 
This was one of my favorite sermons back in the 90’s at Williamsburg Community Chapel. It still ministers to me today.
sounds like he is describing himself. 🙂
This is so beautiful Sis. Thank you for continuing to post these blogs from Dad’s writings. He inspires us still!