Have you ever watched a hawk soaring over her prey? Being an awe-filled bystander is vastly different from feeling like the object of attack.
Hawks are messengers. Like the bird, prophets also have a piercing cry, as they bear news we would rather not hear. Consequently, they fly solo or with the few who discern their intentions in confronting things we choose to ignore.
Elijah was one such Hawk. Like Elijah to King Ahab, present day prophets encourage our turning from or confronting things that are hurting people and will eventually destroy us.
It is up to Hawk to deliver the message, not decipher its meaning.
When a prophet challenges us, we are wise to remain objective. As we watch the messenger zero in on impending danger, we may eventually discover Hawk bringing the answer to prayers we did not yet know to pray.
If we receive the conflict as a personal affront, we will surely lose focus. Instead, we will waste valuable time and energy on playing victim, creating dramas involving other people or scheming how to harm the courier. Hawks are messengers and our responses reveal our character.
Though Hawk-like prophets target problems, they may uncover something questionable in us, as well. Are we able to distinguish the sting of an antiseptic from the pain of an oozing wound?
Hawk’s medicine offers us two lenses, a wide angle view and one that highlights the most minuscule details. Upon receiving Hawk’s message, we might ask, Is Hawk’s red tail a flag that needs our attention or a personal, transforming, healing fire?
Take a deep breath and remember: Hawk’s message could be a gift.
To people with Hawk medicine: Be careful not to confuse delivering the message with executing or forcing change. After Elijah challenged the king, he went into the wilderness where ravens fed him.
Hawks are direct and straightforward. They avoid spending extended periods of time with people who need to ground or flock them. If you resonate with Hawk, deliver your message. If it is rejected, accept the consequences or fly!
Sacred Ruminations*
In the Christian tradition, Jesus showed us how to make Spirit, or Love, flesh. He fulfilled harsher interpretations of scripture, with self-sacrificing love. The Christmas story reminds us that the most powerful and enduring messages are born from humility, a lowly manger, rather than from governing powers, including religious or political positions.
If you are a prophet, other people will name you.