A lot went through my mind as I watched Ella’s intense gaze. Periodically, she would open her mouth and make a soft guttural sound. It reminded me of when my car didn’t want to start on a cold day last winter. Her sound was usually accompanied by a quick head bob. Her unblinking stare was on Crystal’s Christmas present, the bird feeder on the front porch. More specifically, she was watching as a small flock of sparrows darting to and fro, apparently taking turns at the seed. Our cat’s vigilance reminded me of something I’d just watched on the nature channel. She was just missing some tall grass, a gazelle, and maybe a few pounds.
As I peered over her tabby gray shoulder, she looked up quickly to acknowledge me, then went back to her vigil. My thoughts went to the old gospel song, “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. It’s a tribute to the way God watches over us. Sometimes His presence is difficult to discern.
We watch as our adult children go through many of the same struggles we did when we were younger. We help when we can, encourage whenever possible, and pray for them unceasingly. One truly positive factor is that they are all well trained. They generally know what to do to survive. I guess we did some things right to get them to this point. Still, it’s kind of like we are watching them through a pane of glass.
Crystal isn’t the healthiest person in the world dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome and sinus problems, and frequently is stuck at home. I bought the feeder, at her request, so she could watch the various species of birds, cardinals, blue jays, wood peckers, wrens, etc. from the comfort of her couch as she lies down, reads, writes, or sews. Maybe this was just God’s way of tricking me into feeding his birds.
The Bible says that God cares about every sparrow, but much more about each one of us (Psalm 32:8, Mathew 6:26, 10:29-31). It never says He will always keep you safe or from having difficulties. However, if you honor Him with your choices, maybe He’ll trick your spouse into loving you, your kids into respecting you, and you into finding some of His peace (Philippians 4:7) in a world which seems so greatly lacking.
