“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)
Recently I came home to find my canary very ill and I knew that he didn’t have long to live. He has been with me for over 15 years. That is a long time for a canary. And over the last few months, he has been getting weaker and less able to move around, so it wasn’t totally unexpected.
As I took him from the cage and held his shaking body, trying to give him some comfort in his last minutes, I felt so helpless, unable to do anything to ease the pain he was in, simply praying that it wouldn’t last too long. Thankfully, it didn’t.
I will miss his company, but this week as I thought about it, I believe his life, and his death, showed me some important lessons.
When he was young and carefree, he had a real joy of living and his days were filled with song and activity, alert to all that went on around him. I can see a similarity in that to my life before I was injured.
As he aged and got weaker in this last year, he was not so able to get around in his cage and the times when he had that carefree joy, were less frequent and he seemed to give up some things. As my life has also been since illness has limited my abilities.
When I held his dying body in my hands, I was reminded that the Bible says that not a sparrow falls, without God knowing it – and I’m sure that includes canaries too. But just as God cares about the tiny birds, He also numbers the hairs on our heads and says we are worth more than many sparrows.
For those of us with chronic illness, we are often troubled by our worth in the sight of other people, but our worth in God’s sight, no matter how limited we are physically, or mentally, is never in question.
About the Author:
Fiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia. She is thankful for the difference God makes in her life as she lives with chronic pain. She enjoys finding time for reading, writing, travel and photography. You can contact her in the Sunroom.
Chronic Illness Pain Daily Devotionals 