A word on sparrows
I had to share this story with you...it has meant so much in my life. I was reminded again of it when I read a post from a friend, and the encounter that she had with sparrows. I include part of her post... and Ulla, I hope you don't mind.
"....When I got home I had lunch and after that I decided to sit outside on the step of the back-door, and to read a book.I have what we call tit balls (a ball made of seeds and fat for the little coloured birds in winter. Don't know the English word)hanging on the fence.This year we have a lot of sparrows and they also come to feed off it.So while I was reading my book I heard some strange noise coming from the flat roof but I didn't look. A few minutes later something fell from the sky right next to me. I thought somebody had thrown something down. I looked up to see what it was and it was a sparrow that fell from the sky. It was lying on his back. I was surprised and looked at it to see if it was alive. It was lying still but it's eyes were moving and I thought it must have been in shock.I reached out for it and when I touched it's belly to picked it up it managed to get up and fly away. I guess it must have had the scare of his life. Luckily it was alright.Never knew birds fell from the sky, haha."
Three years ago in July, my husband Lee was bit by a tick that carried the Ehrlicliosis disease. This disease, with flu like symptoms, can be deadly for those who immune systems are not up to par, for one reason or another. My husband, recently having gone through chemotherapy, and radiation, wasn't up to par health wise, and his immune system way low compared to others. The reprocussions almost cost him his life. Ehrilicliosis affects the blood. When the blood is infected, it is then spread to the remainder of the body, thus effecting every organ. Lee suffered from kidney failure (and he only has one due to radiation), liver failure, mild heart attack, seizures, severe lung infections, severe bruising and swelling, gall bladder shutdown, along with other complications. For 2 1/2 weeks, unconscience, and in ICU, his life hung in the balance.
During his stay in the hospital, I had made up my mind that I would not sit by his bedside, and mourn, as if he were already gone. Me sitting there constantly would do HIM no good...nor me. I've never been so frightened in my life. If my faith in God was EVER tested, this was that time.
There was a garden patio located off the main lobby of the hospital. I would arrive between 8-9 of a morning, check in on Lee, and see what progress had been made in my absence. Then I would go to the patio and try to pass the time by working puzzels,....but mostly in thought and in silent prayer. I would remain in the patio for an hour or so, then return to Lee's room to check back in on his condition and progress. I didn't know what to do, or where to turn. My life seemed to be crumbling before me, and the constant, "I can't believe this is happening", going through my mind. After all we had recently been through, and that is another story in itself, I just couldn't believe that we were facing another catastrophe in our lives. And what in the world was I going to do if Lee died and was gone from my life forever? It was more than my mind, my heart, and my soul could take.....so I turned to the only place I knew to go.... to my God. I pleaded with God to take my husband Lee into His hands...to care for him for me, because he was now in a situation where I could do NOTHING for him, but to put him into God's hands. My constant prayer was, "God, please don't take him from me!"
Only a few short days after Lee's admittance to the hospital, I noticed the abundance of sparrows that always filled the garden patio, as I would sit there. They would hop around amid the flowers, pecking for worms in the earth. Watching them, I slowly began to realize how important I was to God... how important Lee was to God... As I remembered this old gospel song....
"WHY SHOULD I FEEL DISCOURAGED,
WHY SHOULD THE SHADOWS COME,
WHY SHOULD BY HEART BE LONLELY
AND LONG FOR HEAV'N AND HOME
WHEN JESUS IS MY PROTION?
MY CONSTANT FRIEND IS HE;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME.
"LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED,"
HIS TENDER WORD I HEAR,
AND RESTING ON HIS GOODNESS
I LOSE MY DOUBT AND FEARS;
THOUGH BY THE PATH HE LEADETH
BUT ONE STEP I MAY SEE:
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME.
WHENEVER I AM TEMPTED,
WHENEVER CLOUDS ARISE,
WHEN SONGS GIVE PLACE TO SIGHING,
WHEN HOPE WITHIN ME DIES,
I DRAW THE CLOSER TO HIM,
FROM CARE HE SETS ME FREE;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNO WHE CARES FOR ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE CARES FOR ME.
I SING BECAUSE I'M HAPPY,
I SING BECAUSE I'M FREE,
FOR HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME."
I then remembered the verses in the bible...
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:25-27
"Not one sparrow (what do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't worry! You are more valuable to Him than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29,30
Wow...what an eye opener that was! So daily, I would sit in the garden, watching the sparrows, and how God cared for them.... and daily, I watched as God cared for Lee, and took care of him. And the day came, as I rolled Lee out of that hospital, and on our way home...that I truely knew what it felt like to sing.... "His eye is on the sparrow. And I know He watches me."
Much love to you all
Lev
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
WORDS AND MUSIC BY:
CIVILLA D. MARTIN/CHARLES H. GABRIEL
"....When I got home I had lunch and after that I decided to sit outside on the step of the back-door, and to read a book.I have what we call tit balls (a ball made of seeds and fat for the little coloured birds in winter. Don't know the English word)hanging on the fence.This year we have a lot of sparrows and they also come to feed off it.So while I was reading my book I heard some strange noise coming from the flat roof but I didn't look. A few minutes later something fell from the sky right next to me. I thought somebody had thrown something down. I looked up to see what it was and it was a sparrow that fell from the sky. It was lying on his back. I was surprised and looked at it to see if it was alive. It was lying still but it's eyes were moving and I thought it must have been in shock.I reached out for it and when I touched it's belly to picked it up it managed to get up and fly away. I guess it must have had the scare of his life. Luckily it was alright.Never knew birds fell from the sky, haha."
Three years ago in July, my husband Lee was bit by a tick that carried the Ehrlicliosis disease. This disease, with flu like symptoms, can be deadly for those who immune systems are not up to par, for one reason or another. My husband, recently having gone through chemotherapy, and radiation, wasn't up to par health wise, and his immune system way low compared to others. The reprocussions almost cost him his life. Ehrilicliosis affects the blood. When the blood is infected, it is then spread to the remainder of the body, thus effecting every organ. Lee suffered from kidney failure (and he only has one due to radiation), liver failure, mild heart attack, seizures, severe lung infections, severe bruising and swelling, gall bladder shutdown, along with other complications. For 2 1/2 weeks, unconscience, and in ICU, his life hung in the balance.
During his stay in the hospital, I had made up my mind that I would not sit by his bedside, and mourn, as if he were already gone. Me sitting there constantly would do HIM no good...nor me. I've never been so frightened in my life. If my faith in God was EVER tested, this was that time.
There was a garden patio located off the main lobby of the hospital. I would arrive between 8-9 of a morning, check in on Lee, and see what progress had been made in my absence. Then I would go to the patio and try to pass the time by working puzzels,....but mostly in thought and in silent prayer. I would remain in the patio for an hour or so, then return to Lee's room to check back in on his condition and progress. I didn't know what to do, or where to turn. My life seemed to be crumbling before me, and the constant, "I can't believe this is happening", going through my mind. After all we had recently been through, and that is another story in itself, I just couldn't believe that we were facing another catastrophe in our lives. And what in the world was I going to do if Lee died and was gone from my life forever? It was more than my mind, my heart, and my soul could take.....so I turned to the only place I knew to go.... to my God. I pleaded with God to take my husband Lee into His hands...to care for him for me, because he was now in a situation where I could do NOTHING for him, but to put him into God's hands. My constant prayer was, "God, please don't take him from me!"
Only a few short days after Lee's admittance to the hospital, I noticed the abundance of sparrows that always filled the garden patio, as I would sit there. They would hop around amid the flowers, pecking for worms in the earth. Watching them, I slowly began to realize how important I was to God... how important Lee was to God... As I remembered this old gospel song....
"WHY SHOULD I FEEL DISCOURAGED,
WHY SHOULD THE SHADOWS COME,
WHY SHOULD BY HEART BE LONLELY
AND LONG FOR HEAV'N AND HOME
WHEN JESUS IS MY PROTION?
MY CONSTANT FRIEND IS HE;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME.
"LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED,"
HIS TENDER WORD I HEAR,
AND RESTING ON HIS GOODNESS
I LOSE MY DOUBT AND FEARS;
THOUGH BY THE PATH HE LEADETH
BUT ONE STEP I MAY SEE:
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME.
WHENEVER I AM TEMPTED,
WHENEVER CLOUDS ARISE,
WHEN SONGS GIVE PLACE TO SIGHING,
WHEN HOPE WITHIN ME DIES,
I DRAW THE CLOSER TO HIM,
FROM CARE HE SETS ME FREE;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNO WHE CARES FOR ME;
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE CARES FOR ME.
I SING BECAUSE I'M HAPPY,
I SING BECAUSE I'M FREE,
FOR HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW,
AND I KNOW HE WATCHES ME."
I then remembered the verses in the bible...
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:25-27
"Not one sparrow (what do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't worry! You are more valuable to Him than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29,30
Wow...what an eye opener that was! So daily, I would sit in the garden, watching the sparrows, and how God cared for them.... and daily, I watched as God cared for Lee, and took care of him. And the day came, as I rolled Lee out of that hospital, and on our way home...that I truely knew what it felt like to sing.... "His eye is on the sparrow. And I know He watches me."
Much love to you all
Lev
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
WORDS AND MUSIC BY:
CIVILLA D. MARTIN/CHARLES H. GABRIEL
posted by Lev | 2:04 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Lev!
You blog is quite interesting! I was more focused at this one.I just got emotional by your words.It was really nice reading that from you and all the hard moments and the answer God gave to your husband.That song is also quite beautiful.I like those verses from the Bible so much! WE are like those birds, we are cared by God´s eyes, every day of our lives.All the problems we get through have as purpose to get us even more stronger on faith and love for our dear ones.God bless your family!
luzi
Hi Luzi...glad that you stopped by. I know that lots of people feel that when I share my faith, I'm preaching...lol. That is not it at all. But, when some marvelous things have happened to you, and there's no doubt that God has played His part in it, you just can't help but share the great news with others.
People wonder, often times, why God puts us through the trials that He does. They always speak of how if God is love, He'd never burden us with these troubles. But, God also told us, that He'd never put on us more than we could bear. Although, at times, it can seem quite overwhelming. As Mother Thresa once said... "I know that God will not give me more than I can handle...I just wish He didn't trust me so much."
I sometimes feel like God is trusting me a little too much, but as you mentioned, and you are so right, it is these trials, and troubles, that bring us closer to Him, strengthen our faith, and draw us closer to those that we love. As it says in Ecclesiastes 3... "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven."
Hope you'll come back and visit soon! Have a great day, Luzi
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