I did a
stupid thing. Despite my deep
appreciation for nature and my daily feeding and enjoyment of feathered
friends. Despite my vigilance, that feed
is plentiful and even hanging peanut butter treats out for the many birds,
which call our yard Home. Months ago, I
removed a rattrap from inside our house to a far corner of front porch. It held a dollop of peanut butter, which
hardened over time, last I checked. The
birds never venture to that far corner and I thought they never would.
However,
this morning as New Year’s morning matured, I heard a snap. My sparrow friend with the tiny spot of
yellow upon its head died. Still warm,
softly I cradled and stroked its head and chest. I dug a small hole beside the front rose
bushes, laid it to rest beneath a granite river rock. “What was I thinking?” I berated myself, as I blubbered to my husband
at work and then my dear fellow nature-loving friend. My husband consoled. My friend consoled.
Then, I
recalled the devotion and scripture, which aided me through a struggling New
Year’s Eve-“His eye is on the sparrow and He watches over me.” Although it comforted me yesterday, today,
not so much. So I continued to cry and
pray and then my friend texted, “Earth will accept her beloved and in turn,
feed a tree that will feed many more.”
In that wisdom, I found a turning point, as I saw this tiny sparrow in a
new light. Dear to my heart, but how
many things or people are also so, and I lose sight? No seemingly benign action or unmindful word
goes unchecked. In my vigilance to do
good, be good, love, and be kind, I often fall short. I often fail.
Here is the
thing: Life is short. God is
merciful. Death and Life are
intermingled and neither negate the other or void God’s never ending
faithfulness. As I cradled that small
creature, God cradles us. Already
spirited away, only its tiny body remained to teach me a big lesson, if I
heeded. Life, like this precious bird,
is fragile. We must handle it with care
and prayer.
As I asked
forgiveness for my thoughtlessness and neglect, which caused the bird’s demise,
forgiven, I am renewed. God promises to
make good from everything, especially what seems its direct opposite. As He did yesterday at year’s end, He does
again, at year’s beginning. He reminds
me that His eye is indeed upon the sparrow and He watches over you and me. (Matthew 10:31, Romans 8:28).