The Sparrow Story


“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV)

As a child, I often heard the story about the little sparrows and how they neither worked nor worried about anything. I grew up reading the Bible verse about God caring so much about what happened to these little birds and how, if God cared for things so small and seemingly insignificant, He cared about me. It was always a good story to tell little kids, which is why, last night, we read the same passage from the Bible to our kids. I found myself telling the story just as I was told as a child. I talked about how God cared so much for us and how our lives are worth so much to Him.

In the middle of my story, my son asked, “What does a sparrow look like?”.  I reminded him that he had seen sparrows before “You know those little birds that live in Grandpa’s trees?” I said. He nodded and said “Oh, yes!”, his eyes wild with excitement. He remembered, and as he did, the message of the story came clearer to me. For the first time, this wasn’t just a story I had heard as a child or a Bible verse that I had read growing up—I could relate to the passage.

I have seen sparrows around me for so long that I no longer give any thought to them. They became part of the fixtures at my childhood home. When I walked around the garden, they were there in the trees, just being, living for free—free food, free home, free air—and not giving any thought to their existence. As I remembered the sparrows, the message of the passage sank deep into my soul: If God cares enough to look out for those little birds that don’t work, plan, or worry, how much more does He go out of his way to look out for me?

I turned to my son and said, “Whenever you feel alone, scared, or worried, remember the sparrows in Grandpa’s trees. If God cares enough to look out for them, then he is surely looking out for you”.

And for you too.

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