Was Jesus A Bird-Watcher?

Scripture

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are.

~Matthew 6:26, NLT

Quote

Jesus is my portion, my constant friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.

~Elmira Dolittle

I know you are familiar with the hymn, HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, by Civilla Martin. Civilla was a Canadian by birth, born in Nova Scotia on August 21, 1869. She was a school teacher until she married Walter Martin who was an evangelist. Civilla gave up teaching to travel with her husband. They met and became endeared to a couple in up state New York. Their name was Doolittle and Mrs. Doolittle was bed-fast with some affliction, I don’t know exactly what and Mr. Doolittle had to use a wheel chair to go to his work, yet this couple was an inspiration to the Martins. On one of their visits with the Doolittle’s, Civilla asks Mrs. Doolittle, “How do you maintain such a bright and hopeful outlook? What is your secret?” Mrs. Doolittle simply said, “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He is watching me.” This is all she said but it was enough to spark inspiration in Civilla and from this conversation, she wrote the beloved hymn HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW.

Now, to the question, did Jesus watch the birds? Well, first of all, let us acknowledge that He created them so He had to be familiar with their nature and ways. Birds were a topic that Jesus spoke about more than once. In Matthew 10:29, Jesus said, What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin {penney}? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. The sparrow was a dirty little bird that was practically worthless, two for a one cent. Big Mama would buy anything at that price. Jesus said, “Not one of these dirty little worthless birds can fall to the ground without the Father’s notice.”

In our youth we get involved in many things but as we get older we begin to narrow our interest. We stop trying to gain the whole world and focus on what matters most. I don’t need a big house, new car, or a gift card to Ruth Cris. All I need is a place to live, a transport and some cheese and crackers or a bologna sandwich. I do not have a problem with you going to Big Mikes or Ruth Cris, but that is not a need or even a desire in my life. But you say, “A Ruth Cris steak is worth it.” That is your opinion; my opinion is that no restuarant in the USA can make a steak that is $100 better than Longhorn. As we age we begin realizing we are running out of time and we begin to focus on the simple things that are of true value. In our youth we focus on success but as we grow older, we focus on significance. We want to focus on what matters most.

Jesus point is that the birds live a simple life in total reliance on their Creator. Birds don’t worry and fret, they sing, fish for worms and fly like a jet. When did you last see a bird overcome by anxiety? I am not going to say that all birds are happy; Blue Jays are mean and very unhappy at times, but as a general rule, birds are happier than humans and very content to rely on the Father.

Extra

Well we got another rain yesterday and it rained on us as we drove to the Point last night. We need a few days of sunshine. Do appreciate your prayers and the LORD answered five that I know of yesterday and I was thrilled. I had a great visit with Bobby Joe and Ellen Smith. Bobby Joe played offensive tackle at Mississippi State where Holden our grandson graduated. The grand daughter that was killed lives close to the campus. It is a sad story. Her husband has brain cancer and they have three young children 5,3,and 1. LORD willing June and I are going to Loretta, Tennessee later this morning to look for a head stone for Hope’s grave, then back to Tuscumbia for the service of Lisa Foster {related to my sister Holly}. Both of these women were killed in car wrecks. Too much traffic and too many cell phones…smart phones with dumb users.

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.