Sparrows and the Lord's care

Bird on mint plants in winter outside our kitchen window

When I was pregnant with our 7th child, and her survival looked challenging, I watched a tiny little bird outside my window. It was winter, snowy, and somehow this tiny bird was alive, and eating food, and doing well. Watching this little bird survive harsh conditions felt miraculous. I was amazed that this tiny little bird with toothpick legs could stay warm, that it could find food and survive through long snowy winters. How did a million miracles come together to sustain life- a heartbeat, lungs, a brain and spinal cord, intestines, and everything else?  Life itself felt like a miracle, because of the precarious situation of our baby. The Lord's words about sparrows came to mind "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father knoweth it. And the very hairs of you head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31) I knew the Lord would take care of us as he takes care of the sparrows. And He did take care of us. Her birth and first couple years was a time of seeing the Lord's love and miracles.  Words cannot express how thankful I am for the Lord's help. 

When I go on walks, I often ask the Lord to walk and talk with me, to help me understand the many things I need help with.  It is wonderful and amazing that He really does walk and talk with us if we ask. I am no one special, I am so flawed and prone to sin, but I've felt the Lord walking with me, giving me counsel and understanding.

On walks, the Lord showed me more about little birds. In the summer months the Lord is preparing food for the little birds in the winter. The plants and flowers grow tall stalks with seeds at the tops of the stalks. The plant stalks are strong enough to not crumple or wilt in the many winter storms. If you saw these plants in the summer, you'd think them too soft and bendable to withstand 2 feet of snow. But they do stand strong, holding their seeds up out of the snow for the little birds who land on them and eat the seeds. That is the Lord working, providing for the little birds. 

Mint plants outside kitchen window with 2 feet of snow and a little bird

Trees lose all their leaves in the fall, but if they have little fruit or berries, the branches know to hold on to the berries through the winter.  How do the tree branches know to let go of the leaves but hang on to the berries? That is the Lord providing for the birds.

Ornamental cherry tree in the middle of winter, branches have red berries and no leaves

The birds love those little red berries in the deep of winter, after everything has been frozen for months. The berries are rich in vitamin C, which is hard to find in the winter. When the leaves have fallen and the trees are bare, evergreen trees provide constant shelter from the snow and rain for the little birds. The Lord prepares in advance a solution for every need, no need goes unnoticed by the Lord. I am so thankful that the Lord provides for us in all seasons of our lives. Our God is more mindful of his children than the little birds, and loves to care for us. How great is our God!

One time I walked at the park in the late fall, the leaves were gone from the trees. Something was frustrating me with my children, I don't remember the specifics, just that I felt angry and discouraged and asked the Lord for help. The Lord told me to look at the trees around me- the evergreens and the trees with bare branches, and to see where the birds were. I saw the birds were only in the evergreen trees. He asked me which type of tree I wanted to be like- the evergreen or the trees with bare branches and no birds in them. I understood that if I want my children to return to me often like the birds return to the evergreen tree, my love for them needs to be like the evergreen tree, constant, unchanging in the seasons. My frustration disappeared to nothing, I felt new understanding, and a resolve to love my children better. Often when I come to the Lord with a problem, His answer is to correct me. He changes my perspective, focusing me more on Him and loving like He does, instead of changing the difficult situation.  I am so thankful for the Wonderful Counselor we have in Jesus. Of course there are situations when loving someone is being honest about a difficult concern and not glossing over it, but this time I just needed to relax and be more loving.

When has the Lord set in motion a miracle for you, before you even knew you'd need that miracle? When have you seen the Lord providing for you in ways that only He could? Do you and I remember the Lord's many interventions in our lives? Do I see Jesus' love for me?  I hope we can open our eyes to the many miracles, the many small and big evidences of Jesus love for each of us us.