May 7th, 2020 was a beautiful day for a walk. After having knee surgery on December 31st, I am a bit ashamed to say that I had not really done much in the way of exercise. So, taking it slowly, I thought I would begin walking again. I don't know if I will be able to run anymore, hopefully someday, but walking is a good start.
As I was coming up a hill I could see something in the road that looked a bit like a curled up leaf. As I got closer I saw that it appeared to be a bird. I was about to walk right past where it was, but could not stand the thought of walking past the little crushed body. As I approached her, I didn't really see any movement, but thought I would check to be sure. She was laying on her side and I gently prodded her to see if she was alive. To my surprise, she was!
The road that I was on is a side road where people tend to drive pretty fast, and I was almost positive if I left the bird there she would be hit again fairly quickly. What else was there to do? There was not a question in my mind... I picked that little sparrow up and walked over to the grass. At first her mouth was hanging open a bit as if she was in shock, but when I picked her up she grabbed my fingers with her little feet. She seemed okay other than being a bit stunned. I didn't know if she would be able to fly, if anything was broken, if there were internal injuries, or anything else.
There was a line of trees planted along a fence, but she didn't seem quite ready to simply be left in a tree. I was not about to leave her on the ground, as I feared she would end up back in the street or a meal for another animal. I waited a few minutes, but she still showed no inclination to take flight, so I decided to take her home and nurse her back to health. I began to walk towards home with her snugly nestled in my hand. I stroked her back with my thumb, and she was calm and restful. I was already messaging with my mom about how I was to take care of her when I reached home. As I came towards a field edged by the woods, the scent of honeysuckle wafted towards us on the breeze. The little bird perked her head up, as if someone had placed smelling salts under her nose. Suddenly, she simply flew from my hand into the woods and I was so happy for her I could have cried!
You may read this story and wonder to yourself what the big deal is about the life of one little bird, or maybe you think it was a waste of time trying to save her. But, I know that my Father was teaching me that day. For years I have sung the song, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and loved and believed the message of those lyrics. I have heard Luke 12:6, that says, "Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God..." My Lord was showing me that day that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
I walked up the road and found that little sparrow at the precise time she needed help, at the perfect time to save her from danger. If I had walked through earlier, she would not have been there. If I had waited longer, it may have been too late. If there had been traffic right then, I could not have gotten in the road to save her. So many factors had to line up perfectly in order for her life to be saved. God was reminding me that the life of that little sparrow was important. He showed me how much he cared for even that tiny bird.
And yet, bad things happen. Life hurts. People hurt us. People pass away. Not every bird gets saved from harm. Not every child gets healed of cancer. Not everything in life has an easy fix, but God loves us. God is unchanging. We live in a fallen world. We live in a world filled with sin, hurt, anger, bitterness, sickness, and disease. But there is a Savior who loves us completely, who made the ultimate sacrifice that would last for all of eternity.
Perhaps you feel the same way I so often do...unworthy, inadequate, like I don't measure up. Perhaps you feel that your problems are too big for God, or that God would help someone else and provide for someone else, but not for you. I'm here to tell you today (as I sit here and remind myself as well) that he cared about and loved that little sparrow, and there is nothing in your life that is beyond His reach, nothing you are facing that He does not care about. Bring your petitions to Him. Pray hard for your answer. Trust the Father that loves you to take care of you even more than He took care of that little sparrow that I found on my walk. Read His word and run after His heart. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. He loves you and He wants nothing but the very best for you.
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