Have you ever felt like the Lord pushed you out of your nest, into a terrifying, bewildering, painful ordeal? But just when you thought you were about to crash, he bore you up on his wings!

Haven’t you seen God do this many times throughout your life? Can you remember when he has carried you on his eagles’ wings, over the Red Sea or across Sinai, to help you grow to become what He wants for you?

This is a powerful metaphor and it reminds us of the tender care He shows for his children, despite their sinfulness. He lifts them far beyond their capacity, sustaining them through tribulation and magnifying their best efforts to achieve what He wishes for them (Deut. 32:11-12).

Can you imagine an eagle, with its mighty wings, flying over you?

Eagles have an unusually strong bond with their young. During nesting season, a mother eagle builds her nest on a high mountain crag and carefully watches over her eggs until they hatch. As soon as the little ones are large enough to fly, she tries to lead them out from their nest so that they can learn to fly themselves.

When the little eaglets first start to take off, she watches them as they clumsily flap their wings. If they falter, she swoops underneath them, and her mighty wings hold up that little one so that he won’t be dashed on the crags below.

It is this kind of devoted behavior that Latter-day Saint parents can emulate. The instinctive care and fidelity that eagle mates give to each other and their offspring provide parents with examples worth following in their own relationships.