Eddie the Eagle Learns about God’s Gift of Grace - A Children's Story

  

Eddie the Eagle Learns about God’s Gift of Grace

By Bill Conley
America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller

Moral of the Story:
Grace is the gift that cannot be earned, only received. We are saved not by our deeds, but by our faith in God’s love. When we trust in His mercy, we find true freedom. God’s grace lifts us higher than we could ever climb alone. Pride says, “Look what I did,” but grace whispers, “Look what God has done.” Grace forgives, restores, and renews every heart that believes. Faith opens the door, and grace welcomes us home. It is by grace we live, by grace we are saved, and by grace we soar.

High above the mountains, where clouds kissed the peaks and the wind sang softly, lived a young eagle named Eddie. His wings were strong, and his heart was full of ambition. Every morning he stretched wide and soared into the sky, believing that one day he would be the greatest flyer of all time.

Eddie worked harder than any other eagle in his flock. He rose early, practiced his dives, and challenged the wind itself. “If I just try harder,” he told himself, “I’ll be worthy of God’s favor.”

One day, while flying higher than he ever had before, Eddie saw an old eagle resting on a cliff ledge far below. The old eagle’s feathers were white with age, and his eyes glimmered with peace. Eddie swooped down and landed beside him.

“Good morning,” Eddie said proudly. “I’ve been flying since sunrise. I’m getting stronger every day, so God will see how good I am.”

The old eagle smiled gently. “Tell me, Eddie, why do you think you must earn God’s love?”

Eddie blinked. “Because good things only come to those who work for them. That’s how the world works, isn’t it?”

The elder eagle chuckled softly. “Ah, but God’s love is not of this world. His blessings aren’t wages; they are gifts.”

He looked out over the valley and recited softly, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Eddie tilted his head. “Grace? A gift? But I thought I had to earn it.”

“Grace,” said the old eagle, “means God loves you even when you fall, even when you fail. He gives you strength not because you deserve it, but because He delights in you.”

That evening, Eddie thought long and hard about those words. As the sun dipped behind the mountains, painting the sky in gold and crimson, a storm began to brew. Dark clouds rolled in, and fierce winds howled through the cliffs.

The young eagle tried to return to his nest, but the wind caught his wings and hurled him off balance. He tumbled downward, his feathers whipping in the storm. Just as he was about to crash into the rocks, strong talons grasped his shoulders.

It was the old eagle. He carried Eddie safely to a sheltered cave. “Rest now, young one,” he said. “You cannot fight every storm. Sometimes you must simply let grace carry you.”

Eddie lay trembling, humbled and grateful. He realized that no amount of strength or effort could have saved him. It was grace, pure, undeserved grace, that had lifted him when he could no longer fly.

When morning came, the storm had passed. The valley below sparkled with dew, and the air was calm and new. Eddie turned to his rescuer and said softly, “I finally understand. Grace isn’t about me trying harder. It’s about trusting God more.”

The elder eagle nodded. “Yes, Eddie. You cannot soar on pride. You can only soar on grace.”

From that day forward, Eddie flew differently. He still trained and practiced, but his heart was lighter. He no longer chased greatness to prove his worth; instead, he flew to praise the One who gave him wings.

When other birds grew weary or discouraged, Eddie reminded them, “You don’t have to earn God’s love. It’s already yours.”

Years later, when he became an elder himself, Eddie often perched on that same cliff, teaching young eagles about the gift that changed his life. “Remember,” he would say, “God’s grace is the wind beneath your wings. Without it, you cannot rise.”

And every time he spread his wings and took flight, he felt the invisible lift of that truth, a reminder that grace is not about how high we climb, but about how deeply we are loved.

Poem:

Grace is a gift, not something we earn.
A lesson of love each soul must learn.
Not by our strength, nor by our might,
But by His mercy, shining bright.

When we are weak, His grace remains.
A healing balm for all our pains.
Through faith we rise, through grace we live.
For God forgives and loves to give.

Discussion Questions:

1.     What did Eddie the Eagle learn about grace and faith from the old eagle?

2.     How does God’s grace differ from the way the world rewards effort?

3.     What can you do each day to remember that God’s love is a gift, not something you earn?