God's Loving Care

I saw a dead sparrow on the sidewalk this morning and I was reminded of God's never ending love for me.

A dead sparrow seems like an odd symbol of God's care and love.

Does God care for sparrows? Isn't there a passage which says He watches over even the sparrows and knows when they "fall"? If He does care so much and yet sparrows continue to fall from the sky, why doesn't He protect them? Why didn't He prevent this sad event? Could He? Did He want too? If not, how is that love?

I love birds. My wife and I have worked hard to make our backyard "bird friendly" and we enjoy spending time watching them flitting about and listening to them calling out to each other. They are such happy creatures. Seeing one of our feathered friends laying still and dead on the cold pavement evoked sadness in my heart.

I think God is sad like that too when one of His creation is hurting, struggling, or . . . dies.

This world is not the way God made it. This world is not the way God wanted it. This world, and all that is in it, including sparrows, are damaged and will some day die.

Sin is the culprit and God hates the damage that sin has done to His creation.

Through Christ's victory over sin on the cross we now know the day is coming when all the damage will be reversed. Pain will be gone, tornados will cease, hating, cheating, hurt, and yes, even death, will all be washed away. All things will be restored just the way God wanted it in the first place.

Yet, today is not that day. Today, we must all continue to struggle with sin's effects. Today sparrows continue to fall from the sky, and loved ones we know continue to get sick and die.

For me the comfort comes from knowing God values me much more than sparrows. When I suffer the effects of sin in this world, He is there with me; supporting me; crying with me; comforting me with the words . . . "I make all things new".

I have a best friend.