Early this morning, I woke up to Eddie asking me where the scissors were kept. I sat up in a confused state, first because Eddie was awake before me (which never happens), and second, shouldn't he know where the scissors are by now? When I asked why he needed them, he explained that he found a baby bird outside that was tangled. Suddenly, I shot straight up, threw on a sweatshirt and flip flops and raced outside to the bird. I've always had a soft spot for animals and couldn't bear the thought of one in danger or pain. Over the years, Eddie and I have rescued countless rabbits and birds that have found themselves in turmoil in our back yard.
When we got outside, I saw the little brown bird, maybe a sparrow, caught in a mess of string and twine which was tangled around his leg. I held the small, scared bird in my hand while Eddie gently snipped away the mess around his fragile limb. We set the bird back on the ground where we discovered him and stood back to see what he would do next. He was terrified. Too terrified to move. We went inside and googled what to do next and learned that fledglings are thrown to the ground by their parents before they can fly. This is how they learn to eat, fly, and survive on their own. Their parents are most likely nearby, watching over their fledging and will eventually bring him food if he cannot find any on his own. I felt much better after we checked on him a few hours later. He was hopping around the ground, and looked very strong and fast. I believe that he will find the food he needs and in a few days, learn to fly. I'll soon be looking for him in the sky, rather than the ground.
It may seem childish to care about seemingly insignificant animals so much. But I take the verse to heart (Mat 10:29), that God sees and cares when the sparrow falls. As a child, I loved the picture on our wall, that now hangs on my wall. It says, "Said the robin to the sparrow, 'I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.' Said the sparrow to the robin, 'Friend I think that it must be, that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.'"
Yesterday, I received 3 e-mails in response to my short story submissions to online magazines. They were all rejections. It's difficult to let myself feel sad about that, when I know so many other things are far more serious in the world. But today I was reminded, of course God cares. He cares about the sparrow's tangled leg and that he couldn't learn to fly or find food unless he was rescued. God let me find him and rescue him. Yes, I can see how magnificent of a plan God must have to put all those details together to show me, teach me, make me feel a little better. Yes, I believe God did all that today. And I'll check on the bird until one day soon, I no longer see him taking shelter in the bushes. And I know God will check on me. I am not too small for Him to care about and neither are you.
When we got outside, I saw the little brown bird, maybe a sparrow, caught in a mess of string and twine which was tangled around his leg. I held the small, scared bird in my hand while Eddie gently snipped away the mess around his fragile limb. We set the bird back on the ground where we discovered him and stood back to see what he would do next. He was terrified. Too terrified to move. We went inside and googled what to do next and learned that fledglings are thrown to the ground by their parents before they can fly. This is how they learn to eat, fly, and survive on their own. Their parents are most likely nearby, watching over their fledging and will eventually bring him food if he cannot find any on his own. I felt much better after we checked on him a few hours later. He was hopping around the ground, and looked very strong and fast. I believe that he will find the food he needs and in a few days, learn to fly. I'll soon be looking for him in the sky, rather than the ground.
It may seem childish to care about seemingly insignificant animals so much. But I take the verse to heart (Mat 10:29), that God sees and cares when the sparrow falls. As a child, I loved the picture on our wall, that now hangs on my wall. It says, "Said the robin to the sparrow, 'I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so.' Said the sparrow to the robin, 'Friend I think that it must be, that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.'"
Yesterday, I received 3 e-mails in response to my short story submissions to online magazines. They were all rejections. It's difficult to let myself feel sad about that, when I know so many other things are far more serious in the world. But today I was reminded, of course God cares. He cares about the sparrow's tangled leg and that he couldn't learn to fly or find food unless he was rescued. God let me find him and rescue him. Yes, I can see how magnificent of a plan God must have to put all those details together to show me, teach me, make me feel a little better. Yes, I believe God did all that today. And I'll check on the bird until one day soon, I no longer see him taking shelter in the bushes. And I know God will check on me. I am not too small for Him to care about and neither are you.
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