If God looks after the sparrows, why not you too?
By emptychair
@innertalks (23744)
Australia
February 3, 2017 10:07pm CST
Just recently, I was reading about the great Indian Christian mystic, Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 to 1929 ).
Sundar told this little story about himself.
"One day after a long journey, I rested in front of a house. Suddenly a sparrow came towards me, blown helplessly by a strong wind. From another direction, an eagle dived to catch the panicky sparrow."
"Threatened from different directions, the sparrow flew into my lap. By choice, it would not normally do that. However, the little bird was seeking for a refuge from a great danger. Likewise, the violent winds of suffering and trouble blow us into the Lord's protective hands."
This reminded me of a sort of a similar incident that happened to me once too. It was many years ago now, though.
I was sitting on the open long wooden bench on an empty station once. I had a large duffel overcoat on to protect me from the icy winds. It was the middle of Winter. The temperature that night was only about 3 degrees Celsius.
A weary sparrow landed on the empty bench further up from me. It proceeded to walk and hop along it, a little bit at a time, coming towards me, gaining extra courage, with each little step, that it took.
I saw it out of the corner of my right eye, and I tried not to scare it off by making any sudden movement.
It came right up to where I was seated, and with a little jump, it jumped right into my large open coat pocket, where it stayed for a long time, protecting itself from the bitter cold.
I just sat there, for what seemed to be ages and ages, but in another way, the time went very quickly, as I felt that something rather special was happening for me here too.
Eventually though, after it had recuperated, and become strengthened again by the warmth of my pocket, it hopped out again, stood on the bench for a minute, turned around once more, and looked up into my face, and then it simply flew away, out into the cold dark night, once more again.
Similarly, when we feel tired and worn out, we can jump into the master's coat pocket too, and let him carry us along for a while too.
Here is a rather apt quote from the Christian bible about sparrows for me to finish this piece up with. It's taken from Saint Mathew's gospel, chapter 10, verse 29.
"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care."
Love approaches love whenever love is not withheld. All is love, if none is withheld.
4 people like this
4 responses
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
5 Feb 17
@innertalks There are several families of sparrows at the four corners of the roof of our house. During summer, when we have severe thunderstorm sometimes I found a baby on the ground. I keep alive all those I can, poor little things.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502729)
• Italy
6 Feb 17
@innertalks We have invaded their space, now the poor animals are desperate and come to town in search of food and a place where to hide for the night. I put outside food for the birds and the cats and boxes with hay in winter if some stray cats need a place where to spend the night. I think we should protect more the animals.
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@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
5 Feb 17
@LadyDuck You have a kind heart.
Yes, we think that our lives are tough, but these days an animal's life is much tougher than it ever was before I think. Loss of habitat, and also loss of their natural food sources too. They try to get by on the scraps thrown away by us humans.
We have kangaroo's starting to come into the big city streets here now, even into back yards in suburbia, and sometimes even into houses. Their plight is becoming rather desperate, it seems.
When you go jogging in a park, you have to be careful not to be attacked by one, as these parks are all that they have left to occupy now, and then we still invade them too, wanting to make them our own, by running through their bush, scaring them into desperately attacking us, they are thinking that we are running towards them, to harm them, and their young.
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@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
4 Feb 17
Yes, I had that sort of a feeling then too, (feeling one with everything) and that is why I still remember so vividly this experience, and even now, it still touches me, the uniqueness and oneness of it all, as I recalled it again now in order to write it down here.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (238349)
• Walnut Creek, California
4 Feb 17
@innertalks Ultimately, if we prove ourselves not to be foe, we are friend.
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@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
4 Feb 17
@TheHorse Yes, we can be a friend to all, including to all animals.
Here is another great story from the biography of this great man, Sadhu Sundar Singh:
A gentleman, who later became a YMCA secretary in England, wrote of a night which had left him stunned and speechless:
"Long after midnight, I was roused by a movement in the room. The Sadhu had risen from his bed and was moving towards the door, which opened on the wooden stairs outside the house. The creaking of the wood made it clear that he was going down."
"Knowing that the Sadhu spent hours of the night in prayer, I was not surprised at this. But when half an hour or so had passed and he had not returned, I became uneasy; the thought of the leopard in the valley made me feel anxious. So I got out of bed, . . . and looked out of the window towards the forest."
"A few yards from the house I saw the Sadhu sitting, looking down into the deep valley. It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brightly . . . For a few moments, I watched the silent figure of the Sadhu. Then my eyes were attracted by something moving on his right. An animal was coming towards him."
"As it got nearer I saw that it was a leopard. Choked with fear, I stood motionless near the window, unable even to call. Just then the Sadhu turned his face towards the animal and held out his hand. As though it had been a dog, the leopard lay down and stretched out its head to be stroked."
"It was a strange, unbelievable scene, and I can never forget it. A short time afterwards the Sadhu returned and was soon asleep but I lay awake wondering . . ."
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@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
4 Feb 17
Thanks, Maggs. I am glad that you enjoyed it.
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@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
15 Feb 17
Thought provoking Steve.
We are from the same source, created out of love; so we have to find common ground for coexistence.
This blessed place is indeed the heaven we overlook and we can still turn the corner for proving our gratitude to our creator.
It is the attitude, compassion, that make all the difference that we are on an inclusive journey.
We are created differently to add to the variety and to test our resolve.
Let us trust more, extend our sincere hand of love, to reach a higher level.
We can only be led to water but it is up to us to quench our thirst for love to rise higher - siva
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
16 Feb 17
You said it all pretty well here siva.
The innate inner knowingness of life in its knowing how to love and to apply loving must grow from its seed-pod in our hearts, not from the representational picture of a seed in our minds.
Real seeds must be allowed to grow through love's nurturance, so that we do not live from false seeds imagined into existence from the greed that then usually replaces the real seeds with false non-lasting ones instead.
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@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
17 Feb 17
@Shiva49 We are all an integral part of God, and yet we are all our own man, or our own person too.
This simply means that your freedom to be you will not be taken from you, even by God, and really the truth is that it can only ever be taken away from you by you.
We must realise then that the only true freedom that is ever available to us is acquired when we and God become one spirit, so to speak, us acting for God, and so he acting for us.
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
16 Feb 17
@innertalks Yes Steve, if we stick to basics then the rest can be wished away as just passing sights to be just enjoyed but not become part of our being.
When love defines who we are then we are part and parcel of the creator that will uplift others and goad them to lead an exalted and fulfilling life - siva
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