The Lord has His Eye on the Sparrow

Yesterday morning while walking back to my house from taking my trash cans to the curbside, I noticed Kitty, our 10-year-old gray cat 'playing' with something between her front clawless paws.

I immediately reached for the moving object, and to my astonishment, recognized that it was a tiny bird. I quickly scooped it up, while my cat scowled at me, quite disappointed that I had taken her "toy" away. My heart was moved with great compassion as this baby bird moved in my hands and chirped his little voice. I suddenly realized why an adult bird, obviously the baby bird's mother or father was frantically flying over head moments before I made my discovery.

I didn't know what to do immediately, for I have never really been a 'bird person.' My sister, who is, told me to feed it small particles of bread soaked in milk with a toothpick so the bird wouldn't die of malnutrition. I quickly found a box, lined it with a new white hand towel, as it was what was close at hand. I attempted to feed the little bird, and also placed a tiny dish of water inside the box I hoped would allow the bird to feel he was back in his nest.

The bird wouldn't receive the food from me, though, so I put him in the safety of my home, away from Kitty Bitty, and moved on to other chores, intending to come back to the bird in a few minutes to try to feed him again. Not 10 minutes passed by, and I was back at the small nest I had created for the bird. However, he was still. I gently tapped him, and was overcome with sadness that the little bird had died.

I felt so sad. I don't know if it was because I had become so attached to this little creature in such a short time. He defintely had grown on me. He had chirped for me, moved his little wings, and his little feet had wrapped around my index finger, as if to say, "I trust you." I decided that there was a reason I had come upon this bird, and pondered what purpose it was for. I quietly placed the bird in a brown paper sack, and disposed of him in my outgoing trash bin, being soberly glad that the city sanitation company would take him away the same day, and I wouldn't have the makeshift 'casket' in my trash container for days to remind me of this short lived life.

Life is precious. It does not matter if it's the life of a celebrity like Michael Jackson or Elizabeth Taylor, a homeless person on skid row, or in this case, a small baby bird, who unfortunately, fell from the nest trying to make his first flight, only to be almost killed by a cat, rescued, and then dying (as a result of the fall, or for other reason little birds don't make it past a few months of their birth).

The Lord loves all of the above, watches out for them, and hurts when His creation is hurled tragedy or death. I won't soon forget this experience, and pray that God allows it to make His impression on my heart. God loves even the sparrow, and looks out for Him. How much more does he love His children, and never leaves, nor forsakes us!