Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?

[markdohle]

Birds and things

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Father's care.
(Matthew 10:29)

Everyone once in awhile people will ask me what my favorite bird is.  I have always been partial to crows.  When young I wanted to have one for a pet, but of course that never happened.  Then there is the Blue Jay, a bird that I find beautiful as well as strong and powerful. I admire these birds and am always delighted to find out how intelligent both blue jays and crows are.  They are quite remarkable. So yes I have a fondness for aggressive and large birds.  However there is another side of my love of certain kinds of birds.

After Sunday Chapter this morning, I was walking towards the retreat house going around our community ‘inner garden’.  On the grass near the water fountain and gold fish pond, I spotted a lone sparrow hopping about the grass looking for breakfast I would assume.  Sparrows are small birds, plain, and very numerous.  Yet when I looked at this little, tiny, insignificant bird, I felt a level of joy that I don’t get from the larger more aggressive birds.   

Yet we are told that not even sparrows are outside God’s care.  Is anything outside of God’s care, probably not, since he is the creator of all.  Yet sparrow’s get eaten, perhaps most of them do in the end, die of diseases and gets their necks broken when they fly into windows.  Yet they are cared for by God. 

I believe that animals are not here for us, as some human seem to think, but here for their own journey through life.  I would think that sparrows know of our existence, but we are not human beings to them, perhaps we are not seen as a danger, since we don’t eat them, so to them we are life forms on the periphery of their lives, just as they are in ours.  I don’t go around thinking of birds, animals and plants, but when I come upon them, I find delight and then move on.  Humans are special because of our type of self awareness, but are we anymore special in the eyes of God (?)…..to tell you the truth I don’t know.  We may be the only species that can have a conscious relationship with God (maybe not) and in that we are special, yet the smallness of a sparrow, its plainness, is I believe in actuality parts of its beauty and specialness to God.

We are all part of creation and I believe that we are slowly learning to grow in respect for all life and hopefully learn to appreciate the lives that these other brothers and sisters have.  Different, yes, but to the sparrow its life and survival is of utmost importance, while to us, it may simply be one of millions.  Yet each consciousness, no matter what, must be truly sacred in the eyes of the Father. 

It is easy to objective other life forms forgetting their complexity and beauty.  Even those that we consider pest, still have their place even if we have to fight them, insects for example. Yet many (perhaps most are all) have been around millions of years before man…there is no such thing as a ‘thing’ in nature, though we may try to make it so.

We can go full circle and then look at our fellow human beings in a different light.  We may learn to see beauty in ways that we may have not thought possible.  Each human being has such a vast inner world, that they could be considered a universe all to themselves…..it is amazing that we can communicate at all.  Yet it is our common humanity that allows the building of a bridge towards each other, and compassion when we realize like with all of creation we will feel joy, suffer pain and deep loss and then we lose ourselves in death.  Faith gives hope and I believe that strength needed not to descend into despair or bitterness.  We can choose to trust or not, many do not know that they have that freedom.  Yet the death to self that is needed to be trusting towards God can be a long process, for we always trust to our full capacity, yet that inner freedom can grow and will grow each time we choose life over bitterness and death.

 

Love can supply for length of years.
 Jesus, because He is Eternal,
regards not the time but only the love.
(Therese of Lisieux)

 

 

[missmuffet]

42 minutes ago, markdohle said:

Birds and things

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Father's care.
(Matthew 10:29)

 

Everyone once in awhile people will ask me what my favorite bird is.  I have always been partial to crows.  When young I wanted to have one for a pet, but of course that never happened.  Then there is the Blue Jay, a bird that I find beautiful as well as strong and powerful. I admire these birds and am always delighted to find out how intelligent both blue jays and crows are.  They are quite remarkable. So yes I have a fondness for aggressive and large birds.  However there is another side of my love of certain kinds of birds.

After Sunday Chapter this morning, I was walking towards the retreat house going around our community ‘inner garden’.  On the grass near the water fountain and gold fish pond, I spotted a lone sparrow hopping about the grass looking for breakfast I would assume.  Sparrows are small birds, plain, and very numerous.  Yet when I looked at this little, tiny, insignificant bird, I felt a level of joy that I don’t get from the larger more aggressive birds.   

Yet we are told that not even sparrows are outside God’s care.  Is anything outside of God’s care, probably not, since he is the creator of all.  Yet sparrow’s get eaten, perhaps most of them do in the end, die of diseases and gets their necks broken when they fly into windows.  Yet they are cared for by God. 

I believe that animals are not here for us, as some human seem to think, but here for their own journey through life.  I would think that sparrows know of our existence, but we are not human beings to them, perhaps we are not seen as a danger, since we don’t eat them, so to them we are life forms on the periphery of their lives, just as they are in ours.  I don’t go around thinking of birds, animals and plants, but when I come upon them, I find delight and then move on.  Humans are special because of our type of self awareness, but are we anymore special in the eyes of God (?)…..to tell you the truth I don’t know.  We may be the only species that can have a conscious relationship with God (maybe not) and in that we are special, yet the smallness of a sparrow, its plainness, is I believe in actuality parts of its beauty and specialness to God.

We are all part of creation and I believe that we are slowly learning to grow in respect for all life and hopefully learn to appreciate the lives that these other brothers and sisters have.  Different, yes, but to the sparrow its life and survival is of utmost importance, while to us, it may simply be one of millions.  Yet each consciousness, no matter what, must be truly sacred in the eyes of the Father. 

It is easy to objective other life forms forgetting their complexity and beauty.  Even those that we consider pest, still have their place even if we have to fight them, insects for example. Yet many (perhaps most are all) have been around millions of years before man…there is no such thing as a ‘thing’ in nature, though we may try to make it so.

We can go full circle and then look at our fellow human beings in a different light.  We may learn to see beauty in ways that we may have not thought possible.  Each human being has such a vast inner world, that they could be considered a universe all to themselves…..it is amazing that we can communicate at all.  Yet it is our common humanity that allows the building of a bridge towards each other, and compassion when we realize like with all of creation we will feel joy, suffer pain and deep loss and then we lose ourselves in death.  Faith gives hope and I believe that strength needed not to descend into despair or bitterness.  We can choose to trust or not, many do not know that they have that freedom.  Yet the death to self that is needed to be trusting towards God can be a long process, for we always trust to our full capacity, yet that inner freedom can grow and will grow each time we choose life over bitterness and death.

 

 

Love can supply for length of years.
 Jesus, because He is Eternal,
regards not the time but only the love.
(Therese of Lisieux)

 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing. Very nice. A lot of thought went into that

[markdohle]

4 hours ago, missmuffet said:

Thanks for sharing. Very nice. A lot of thought went into that

Thank you missmuffet, very much.

Peace
Mark

[markdohle]

4 hours ago, Yowm said:

The bible seems to indicate differently...

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." (Gen 1:27-30)

"And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things." (Gen 9:2-3)
 

I am not disagreeing with you Yown, however there are also laws in the Old Testament dealing with how we treat animals, none of them are cruel.  For instance "don't muzzle the ox that grinds the grain".  Also the cutting of the animals throat is much more humane than ways that people killed animals back then, as well as now.  How we treat animals in a cruel and often sadistic way does affect those who do such thing.

Most animals in the world never see a human being, or interact with them.  As St. Paul says, all of creation waits in expectation for the coming of the day of the Lord.....all of nature will reap the fruit of Christ redemption over sin and evil.  Their lives have nothing to do with us.  We treat the planet the way we treat animals as well, as if it was ours to play with and destroy without thought or foresight. 

I do not believe that animal have 'right's', yet how we treat them falls on us.  Animals are not things, or inanimate objects, they feel pain and we are finding that there is much more to them than we thought.

Thanks for your thoughtful response as usual.

Peace
mark

[markdohle]

4 minutes ago, Yowm said:

Still, Scripture says they are here for us and don't have their special journey. That type of talk plays into the 'earth' people who would rather save a whale and abort a child. But I know you are against abortion, just saying.

I can see where you are coming from my friend, but that was not my intent.  As I have said, animals do not have rights, but how we treat them is important.  Animals do have their own lives apart from us, that is a fact ;-).......we do have dominion over them, but not the license to cruelty or sadistic behavior.

Peace
mark

[kwikphilly]

Blessings mark

     Nice to see you,been a while.....I agree ,we are most certainly to respect LIFE,God made them therefore they are His Creation & we are to be kind & humane

Quote

Psalm 50:10-11

 

"For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. "I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

Proverbs 27:23

 

Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds;

Job 12:7

 

"But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you.

Proverbs 12:10

 

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

 

[markdohle]

26 minutes ago, kwikphilly said:

Blessings mark

     Nice to see you,been a while.....I agree ,we are most certainly to respect LIFE,God made them therefore they are His Creation & we are to be kind & humane

 

Thank you my friend.  Many people only focus on the 'harsh' side of the law, there was also great gentleness and care in many of them.

peace
mark

[Snow]

13 minutes ago, markdohle said:

I can see where you are coming from my friend, but that was not my intent.  As I have said, animals do not have rights, but how we treat them is important.  Animals do have their own lives apart from us, that is a fact ;-).......we do have dominion over them, but not the license to cruelty or sadistic behavior.

Peace
mark

Hi markdohle

I think of the Sparrows this way..The breath of life which is in all Creatures returns to God, maybe that is how He knows about the dear little sparrow..Whenever i see a new born calf or lamb running and playing i think of the condensed joy of this new life with the breath of God..

God bless

[markdohle]

5 minutes ago, Snow said:

Hi markdohle

I think of the Sparrows this way..The breath of life which is in all Creatures returns to God, maybe that is how He knows about the dear little sparrow..Whenever i see a new born calf or lamb running and playing i think of the condensed joy of this new life with the breath of God..

God bless

Lovely thoughts on the subject, thank you very much.

Peace
mark

[Guest bonnieschamberger]

I love the way you worded every bit of that!  I also love birds my favorite being ravens and crows...I remember when I was little I loved bats and it was always my dream to hold a fruit bat(I would still love to do that someday) ...one of the few shining pros about where I live is that there are birdfeeders and birdbaths everywhere and in the colder seasons  it almost looks like we have a menagerie here its wonderful.