While traveling through Switzerland, I have been impressed with how much time and resources that have gone into protecting the land from invading enemies over the centuries. There are castles everywhere!

Yesterday, we stopped at a viewpoint while going over a pass, and there was a commemorative statue of an eagle overlooking the valley below. The eagle was built and placed there to remember a handful of soldiers who stood guard over the pass during WWII. It was a strategic location to protect the country from invasion.

As I looked around at the surrounding territory, the location was obviously the right one to protect. On each side were high Alp peaks that made traveling impossible except through the valley pass. The only route through was right where that eagle was stationed. The squeeze point was the point of vulnerability that needed to be protected for the safety of all behind that point.

In seeking a spiritual lesson, I thought about the passageways of the human mind that need to be protected—points of vulnerability, if you will.

To progress in life, we have to defend ourselves from the invading armies of fear and error that would steal our joy, health and well being.

There are places in everyone’s thought that are super strong, like those Alp peaks on either side of the pass. They don’t need protecting, so much, for the pertinent truth is clear. But there may be other aspects to life we feel unsure about that need shoring up. These channels of vulnerability need extra guard until our demonstration of immunity to harm is made.

For example, if we’re inclined to gluttony, the temptation to overeat would be a point of vulnerability that needs extra defense work. Or, if we overspend, the temptation to buy things we don’t need is a point of vulnerability that needs extra defense work to keep the invading army of debt from overwhelming our home front.

The eagle statue is engraved in my mind, for now, as a firm reminder that I must stand guard and watch over any valleys of vulnerability I feel in my life until I have demonstrated them out of my life. I must not be naïve and ignore any passageways the enemy of fear might pursue to try and invade my thought and throw me off guard.

“Watch,” as Jesus instructed. With an eagle eye…