His Eye is on the Sparrow

I live on the top floor of my building, which is something I’ve always appreciated. I have a great view of the mountains when the weather is clear, and when the weather isn’t clear I have a front-row-seat to the spectacular clouds, lighting and rainbows that frequent our sky.

For the past few weeks I’ve had new neighbors. The sparrows have found the cracks, of which there are quite a number, in the building and have settled in. They make quite a lot of noise in the mornings, but I honestly don’t mind, who doesn’t love waking up to the sound of birds singing? (Although, it would be nice if they slept in past 5 AM from time to time.) Once I’m up I can’t help but stare at them out my window, watching them as they swoop up and down, almost colliding with one another but changing direction at the last second. They have found a small open pipe in the building across from mine and they fly in and out, going about their day with not a care in the world.

This morning I heard that the job I had planned on for this summer had fallen through. This happens with jobs sometimes, but it’s still a little upsetting when it does happen. But as I sit here watching the sparrows I’m reminded of the old hymn His Eye is on the Sparrow. The refrain of the song goes like this:

“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.”

Often we’re tempted to think that if something goes wrong we’re screwed, we immediately start worrying. But the Bible tells us that God takes care of the birds of the air (Matt 6:26) and the lilies of the field (Matt 6:28), how much more so will he take care of us? He’s provided everything I need for today, and all the days before this one. Shouldn’t I trust Him by now? So I’m going to let tomorrow worry about itself (Matt 6:34) and sit here with my eyes on the sparrows, just as God’s eye is on me. 

The Moment.

That was it.

Did you feel it?

The moment where everything shifted, time slowed down, and your world would never be the same.

It’s one of the strangest things you’ll ever experience. And you know you’ll experience it more than once. In one fell swoop the world and life you knew are gone.

You’ll have to adjust.

Change.

Because the person you were won’t be able to handle this new reality. Whether the change was for better or worse, it was a change and you can’t go back.

So what do you do? In that moment, what can you do?

As you fumble trying to find something that you know. Some semblance of what used to be. A constant to help you find your footing.

It may be hard at first, finding anything that still seems the same.

Breathing.

That’s something that hasn’t changed. You still have a grasp on that. In and out. In and out.

You can still hear, and see, and think.

You can laugh, and dance, and hope, and love.

And the more time passes, the easier it becomes to find things that still fit into this new and still strange reality that is now your world.

Soon you feel comfortable again and what was once a new world is now your day-to-day life.

You have found your way. You know what’s going on again and where to go from here.

But then…

What was that? Did you feel it?