Hope in a Sparrow

 "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? 

Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered! 

Don't be afraid; YOU are worth MORE than many sparrows!"
~Jesus

I had a horrendous day.  There were just too many sad things going on around me and I wasn't very happy with who I was and my inability to fix all the sad things. It was one of those days where everything went wrong. Things came to a head and I had a melt down. I cried myself to sleep that night wondering if I would ever feel right again, or would I just sink lower and lower?  

I awoke the next morning with my eyes swollen from the tears of the night before and barely having the ability to get out of bed.  But I did, and went to work at my housecleaning job with my sweet daughter and her schoolwork in tow.

I clean at a house that has many windows.  My daughter usually sits at the kitchen table, works on her school work and loves to watch all the birds eat at the bird-feeders. She has tried many times in the summer to catch one, but never could.  All of a sudden I hear her yell,  "MOM!!  Come here, quick!!!"  I rush to her, wondering what on earth could be wrong now?? I see she is holding a live sparrow in her cupped hands!  "Look look, he smacked into the window and I went outside to go help him!" 

I could not believe this sparrow was letting her hold him!  I told her that he may have really damaged his little brain and she should put him on the ground by all the bird seed and we could hope that he would recover.

The bird just stood there. It didn't move, just stood there for the longest time.  My daughter was so worried for him. "Is he going to be okay??"  She asked me repeatedly. "I don't know."  I tell her.  "Just give him some time." 

I thought about how very cruel nature can be at times and wonder if my little girl's heart is going to be broken that day. My own heart was broken as I watched that sparrow and thought of my own spirit. How, I too, felt as though I had smacked up against a window and was just in a daze, numb and unable to cope. 

I say out loud to my daughter, "You know, God says that not one of those sparrows dies without him knowing... So, Lord,  I pray you will heal this little one." Inside,  I am wondering what she will think of God should this little sparrow die in the next few moments. How will her heart handle that pain?

He is just standing there still and all around him are little sparrows busily eating food and hopping and flying about. A half hour passes and I go to check on him and all the birds fly away as I approach the window, but the injured bird does not move. My daughter is so very concerned about the little creature.

I finally decide to go outside and see if perhaps I touch him, if he might take a step or move or something! I step outside and approach the bird and he does not move.  So I bend down and slowly reach out my finger to gently touch him and SWOOSH... off he flies.  Free and apparently healed.  
I say to her... "Did you see that!???" 
Indeed she did.  
So did I.