Live simply, love generously, care deeply, and give fully!

by | Mar 3, 2013 | Sowing Seeds Of Faith | 2 comments

Hand in Hand photoPutting your trust in something can be hard.  It leaves you exposed and vulnerable; not in control.  Trust is an innate quality in children; a characteristic that we all hold, until that moment that what we trusted in, proves to be untrustworthy. The moment that vulnerability is exposed, leaves us feeling unsafe and alone.

Did you ever wonder how this shapes your relationship with God?  If we place the same limits on God’s love and understanding, His protection and stability, then we are doomed to a life of fear and anxiety.  Trust is an act of faith.  The result of a relationship with the One who is always faithful and the instinctive knowing that His intentions are always for good.

These are the lyrics to a hymn I heard years ago.  The words were inspired by the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus says 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 6:26 and  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29-31.

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is he
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches over me

As a parent, I’ve had the unmeasurable blessing and privilege of sharing in the creation of life.  To live simply, love generously, care deeply and give fully is  unconditional love…and it’s risky – as we do not know what the future holds.

But what happens to one’s trust when that gift is called back to Him? Do we believe that we are still worth something to God? That we are safe and protected?

I found this piece below in an email I received this week –

When A Sparrow Falls

sparrow i

Birds are so fragile and vulnerable. These amazing photos captured a drama with two of these little creatures that is every bit as poignant and heart-wrenching as any human story. Kudos to the photographer.

The newspapers that carried these photos sold out in every country. A female bluebird was hit by a car as she swooped low across the road, and the condition was soon fatal.

sparrow ii

Her male mate brought her food and attended her with love and compassion.

sparrow iii

He brought her food again, but was shocked to find her dead.

sparrow iv

He tried to move her – a rarely seen effort.

sparrow v

Aware his mate was dead and would never come back to him again, he cried out with adoring love. . . and stood beside her with sadness and sorrow.

Millions of people were touched after seeing these photos in America, Europe, Australia, and even India. The photographer sold these pictures for a nominal fee to the most famous newspaper in France. All copies of that edition sold out on the day these pictures were published.

You have just witnessed love and sorrow felt by God’s creatures.

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?”

Imagine how much more He cares for us!

In my lifetime, I’ve watched several friends and family members lose a child and with each heartbreaking announcement, the unthinkable in my mind begins to stir as that gut-wrenching cry of “why” tries to find its place in my soul.  I stare into the faces of the grieving parents and wonder, along with them, how will they face another day.

I guess the answer lies within the choices we make and the risks we are willing to take.  If we knew the end result, would we change our choices or take the risk and all the beauty and joy that comes with it, no matter how much time we might have?  Faith is believing without seeing.  Trusting without proof. It is the willingness to take that risk that leads us to trust.

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