grow, my world was filled with songbirds. Along with the cheeky blue jay, I loved watching the antics of the black-capped chickadee. And who could forget the majestic cardinals rearing their glorious red crests against a snow-covered pine branch?

I loved being surprised by an elegant cedar waxwing or a flaming orange oriole. Or I might spot a red-winged blackbird atop a bulrush at the edge of the marsh. Less frequently, a scarlet tanager brightened our feeder or a goldfinch was spotted pecking at a sunflower.

Of course, the robin breast, a harbinger of spring, could be frequently seen in a standoff with a juicy worm. When my dad tried to get me out of bed with “the early bird catches the worm,” I thought, who wants to eat worms?

Sometimes I could hear the rat-a-tat-tat of a downy woodpecker high in an old tree, providing the percussive section to the chorus of songbirds, or watch a hovering ruby-throated hummingbird suck nectar from a flower. of salvia. But always, always, whoever else showed up to greet me each morning, there were the ubiquitous song sparrows, dressed in humble earth tones, ready to defer to bigger birds.

According to birdfact.com, there are over 10,000 species of birds in the world, with a population of 50 billion. And the most numerous race? You guessed it: the house sparrow, of which there are 1.6 billion.

Among his various evils, Chairman Mao ordered the culling of sparrows in China during the “Great Leap Forward” because they dared to nibble on the grain. But then it was discovered that while the mother and the pop sparrow ate grain, the children loved insects. Without their pest control, crops were devastated and 35 million people starved to death. A little late, Mao ordered to protect the sparrows. Despots make such pathetic gods.

The sparrow figures prominently in the Bible. Jesus said that his Father attended the funeral of every sparrow: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And one of them will not fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So fear not, you are worth more than many sparrows. (Mt 10:29-31)

With such a masterful statement, Jesus makes us both a little more humble and a lot more hopeful. The sparrows have His attention, and so do you. In fact, the Savior binds himself to us by the comparison that he is “like a sparrow alone on the roof.” (Ps 102:7) Have you ever seen a sparrow alone? I do not have. But that’s His point. For us, he “endured such a contradiction of sinners against himself” (Heb 12:3). Rejected by his people, despised by religious leaders, abandoned even by his followers, and ignored by millions today, he nevertheless went to Calvary and died there for this poor, broken, and sinful race.

I’m like a sparrow – often feeling common, ordinary, neglected. Not so! God not only keeps track of every hair, but also of all your tears. (see Ps 56:8) He cares about you.

And Jesus is like a sparrow — alone in his pain to bear the sin of the world. Here is his offer: “He that hears my word and believes in him that sent me has eternal life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death unto life. (Jn 5:24)

Jabe Nicholson temporarily stopped in Starkville en route to paradise. A shout and he comes out! Join it at [email protected] or visit www.uplook.tv.