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A Little Girl And A Sparrow
Niki Behrikis Shanahan
Are not five sparrows sold
for two pennies?
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Luke 12:6, NIV
There was a story in the Lutheran Woman’s Quarterly Spring 2000 newsletter written by Carol Schutte. She told the story of how her little girl, Megan, found a small sparrow on the deck. The sparrow was wounded and lying on its back, eyes closed. Megan said to her mom, “is he going to die?” Her voice was filled with compassion, her brow furrowed in deep concern.
"I don't know, Honey. I imagine that he flew into the glass deck door, thinking that he could fly through. Let's move him into the garage where he'll be safe and quiet." We gently moved the little bird into a shoebox lined with a soft doll blanket and placed him in the dimly lit garage.
"Why does God let cute little birds get hurt?" she asked.
I contemplated an answer, thinking of the bigger question – why does a loving God allow suffering of any kind? My answer was simple. "I just don't know, Megan, but I am very sure about one thing. God has a plan – a plan that includes even this little bird. We don't know what the overall plan is, but we can be sure that whatever happens will ultimately be for some very good purpose."
"Whatever happens to this little bird is part of God's plan. Let him rest here, Megan. We'll check on him in a little while," I told my daughter.
Confident that the bird was in God's very capable hands, Megan went outside to play. I returned to my kitchen chores, but was drawn back to the garage to see how our patient was doing. The sparrow had opened his eyes. His little body visibly tensed with fear as I approached. His injuries prevented him from moving away. Not wishing to cause him any more trauma, I went back into the house, but I could not get the incident out of my mind.
After an hour had passed, I returned to the garage. This time there was no movement from the shoebox. The little bird had died and was lying on his side. I viewed the still, small frame, moved by the intricate perfection of even the smallest of God's creatures. The fuzzy down feathers cradled his body in warmth. His contour feathers were placed perfectly for effortless flight.
I thought of the moment I had seen my daughter for the first time, dazed by the perfection of each tiny feature. A sense of reverence for the care that God has taken of his own overcame me and I thought of the passage from Matthew: Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:26
The garage door opened and Megan peeked in. "Is he okay?"
I told her that the sparrow had just died, expecting her to be upset.
"Well, I'll need to borrow your shovel so I can bury him out in the field. He's a lucky little bird to be home with Jesus. And you know what, Mom? I bet God doesn't have any glass on His patio doors, so he'll never get bumped again."
With her little childlike faith, Megan never questioned that the bird went home to be with Jesus! It reminded me of a conversation that my mother told me she had with my little nephew, Jake. My Dad passed away a couple months before my cat, Pete. When Jake and Grandma were talking about an important baseball game, Jake said, “Grandpa must be up in heaven watching the baseball game with Pete!” It’s that child-like faith and trust in God that we all need to have. Somewhere along the way many of us have become so educated and so involved with this world that we have forgotten to take God at His Word. Psalm 36:6 says, Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD , you preserve both man and beast.
In the Bible there was the story of the little children that were trying to come and see Jesus, and the disciples didn’t want them to bother Jesus.
But Jesus called the
children to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder
them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you
the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child
will never enter it."
Luke 18:16-17, NIV
We all need to have faith like a child. The Bible says that it’s impossible to please God without faith.
And without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He
exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6, NIV
Note: All Bible references are from the New International Version.
Niki Behrikis Shanahan is the author of There Is Eternal Life For Animals, The Rainbow Bridge: Pet Loss Is Heaven's Gain, and Animal Prayer Guide. Pete Publishing, www.eternalanimals.com. Available at amazon.com. Article copyright 2003 Niki Behrikis Shanahan. All rights reserved. Not to be used without author's explicit written authorization.