The Most Unlit Tree
January 4, 201929 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10: 29-31 (ESV)
It is no secret, to those who know me fairly well, that I love the lights of the Christmas season. Imagine my delight while walking the grounds of Longwood Gardens recently where more than 500,000 lights adorn outdoor and indoor trees. Each step and turn along the garden pathways led to another breathtaking, creative display of lights! On this visit, however, it was the most unlit tree in the gardens of Longwood which most impacted me—a tree which was created out of birdhouses.
As soon as I saw this most unlit tree, my mind immediately flipped through the pages of the gospel of Matthew to chapter 10 where we learn that not one, inexpensive sparrow, falls to the ground without God knowing about it. And not only does God know when the half cent sparrow falls, He reminds us “you are more valuable than many sparrows”! And in that moment of taking in the beauty of the birdhouse tree and the significance of God’s care for me, I was most comforted.
Maybe you, like me, are troubled from time to time about your worth, especially in the sight of others. What a gift to know that our worth in God’s sight is never in question.
And maybe like me, you feel the need to carry the anxieties of life upon your own shoulders- worries about our children, our marriages, our finances, our jobs, our aging parents. Our shoulders are not broad enough to bear these burdens and we do not have to bear them! Since we are “more valuable than many sparrows” and of special worth to God, we can lay our worries on Him and be assured He cares for us.
“Said the robin to the sparrow, ‘I should really like to know
Why those anxious human beings rush around and worry so?’
Said the sparrow to the robin, ‘Oh, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.’”
(Author unknown)