The Eagle and The Chicken

At the edge of the woods, near a small farm, a baby eagle fell out of the nest. While checking on his crops the farmer found the eagle. Not knowing what else to do he brought him home and placed him in with his baby chickens. As time passed, the baby eagle grew up learning to do what chickens do. He clucked, he strutted around the coop pecking at the corn and even tried his voice at the morning wake-up call.
One day a neighbor came to visit the farmer. The farmer said come here you have got to see this. The man was surprised to see the eagle strutting around the chicken coop, pecking at the ground, and acting like a chicken. The farmer explained he had brought the little bird to the coop not knowing what else to do. He further told his friend that since the bird had been raised a chicken that the bird actually believed himself to be a chicken.

The neighbor said there is more to this noble bird than his behavior displayed as a chicken. He was born an eagle and had the heart of an eagle, and nothing could change that. The Old farmer said, no my friend how you are raised is what you are no matter what you say or do. The neighbor disagreeing reached down and lifted the eagle onto the fence surrounding the chicken coop and said, “Eagle, you are an eagle. Stretch your wings and fly.” The eagle only look blankly at the man and clucked then jumped off the fence and continued doing what chicken do. The farmer was satisfied. “I told you - he thinks he’s a chicken,” and nothing can change that.

The neighbor couldn’t sleep that night . He promptly returned the next morning to convince the farmer that the eagle was something greater. The farmer amused by his neighbors interest in the eagle sat back and watched as the man took the eagle from the dirty coop and carried him to the top of the farmhouse. Setting the bird down on the roof, the neighbor spoke to him: “Eagle, you are an eagle. You therefore belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch your wings and fly.” The large bird blinked at the man, clucked, and then jumped down into the chicken coop. And resumed scratching and pecking the ground. The old farmer just laughed histerically and said see I told you, you cant excape your past. My boy that eagle will never be more than a chicken.

As you could imagine the neighbor had a very restless night. Bright and early the next morning the neighbor returned to the farmers house. The farmer smiled and shook his head and said you dont give up easy do you. The neighbor said come go with me I have an Idea that I want to show you. The neighbor took the eagle and the farmer far away from the farm and chicken coop to top of a high mountain. With the chicken Coop no where in sight the man lifted the eagle on his outstretched arm and pointed high into the sky where the bright sun was beckoning above. He spoke: “Eagle, you are an eagle! You  were made for the sky not the earth therefore Stretch forth your wings and fly.” This time the eagle stared skyward into the bright sun, straightened his large body, and stretched his massive wings. With a Loud Screetch the eagles wings began to  move, slowly at first, but then grew more restless and then more powerfull.
With another loud and mighty screech the eagle took flight soaring above the mountain and valley below.

In life if we want to achieve what God intend us to be we have to remove ourselves from the bad influences that becon us to the ground.
Put simply.
If you want to soar with the eagles you can not afford to be scratching with the chickens.