Soon after moving into our current home, my owner put up ten sparrow terrace nest boxes on the side of our house. It was all because he’d seen a few sparrows in the neighbourhood and thought that they could do with a little bit of help. And within a couple of weeks, the sparrows had moved in. First, it was a couple of pairs, and before he knew it, there were a dozen pairs all making use of his upmarket accommodation. There was one drawback though. My owner hates climbing up ladders, and yet the nest boxes all have to be cleaned out every Autumn. The ten boxes have 30 compartments between them, so every year, he finds himself rocking and swaying around on the ladder rungs for quite some considerable time.
Well, at least the sparrows are appreciative. Their numbers have gone up significantly; they use the boxes for roosting in during the Winter months, and a steady supply of bird food is provided for them in the feeders located in the back garden. Now, of course, there are some things that my owner can’t do to help the sparrows. He’s unable to keep sparrowhawks out of the garden, and he can’t stop individual sparrows from picking up injuries and infections. And very interestingly, some of the sparrows have come to realise that my owner is ‘good news’ and become semi-tame. But others fail to understand him, and sound warning ‘churrs’ whenever he appears.
And do you know something? It’s a bit like that with God and human beings. Because God provides humans with all of the basics that they need for living, even though He can’t always protect them from illness or misfortune. And some humans have come to sense His presence as a good thing, while others either choose to ignore Him, or view all forms of faith as a bad thing. And that’s a bit of a shame. Because there’s a huge difference between my owner and God. My owner can only try to make the lives of the sparrows a little easier here on Earth. But God offers so much more. Because after the difficulties of this life we are all offered perfection in Heaven. And that’s why sparrows, humans and parrots alike all need to view God as their helper and their special friend……
“Happy is the person who not only sings, but feels God’s eye is on the sparrow, and knows He watches over me.”
(Alfred Armand Montapert: [1912-2007]: American philosopher and author).
“God notices every one of us; there is not a sparrow or a worm that continues to live apart from His decrees.”
(Charles Haddon Spurgeon: [1834-1892]: English Baptist preacher, still referred to today as ‘the Prince of preachers).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
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