His Eye is On the Sparrow
I don’t know where all of our readers live, but where this writer lives, it has been cold for the past 7 days! It has been so cold that memes on the internet about canceling our seven-day free trial of living in Alaska have circulated widely. Facebook has become not much more than “how are the roads?”
During all of this beautiful – if brutal – cold, I noticed some of my neighbors and got to wondering how they survive. I’m talking about the birds that stick around and don’t migrate for the winter. It is not typical for us to spend so many days in a row below freezing, especially not in single digits with negative wind chills. So how do the birds, which are so tiny compared to us, do it?
As a believer, I knew the answer was God’s design, I just didn’t know how. I did some research and learned some pretty cool facts about how birds are designed. I won’t go into all the details, but they are designed where those tiny, twig-like, uninsulated legs and feet actually stay cold all winter. They don’t lose core body heat in order to send warmth into those extremities. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “Black-capped chickadees weigh less than half an ounce and can maintain a body temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit – even when the air is 0 degrees!” Amazing!
But it shouldn’t be that amazing to one who believes in God’s word. It should be faith-affirming. After all, it was Jesus who told His disciples, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)
Maybe God made us a little more fragile than those delicate-looking birds to remind us that we, unlike them, need Him for much more than physical sustenance. And if He cares enough to design them for warmth on the coldest days, how much more does He care for those of us “created in His image?”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
