A very full morning as usual but a relaxing afternoon. Father may our time together be productive, as You would have it. Amen.

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I’ve been very bad about feeding birds the last couple of years. Weather and varmints (raccoons and squirrels) have wreaked havoc on my feeders, and most need repair. We found a nice one on clearance recently so yesterday, being a pretty decent day out I filled it. While I was at it, I cleaned up another one and decided that and third one could probably be used.

It usually takes a couple of days for birds to find feeders and begin using them. So far today I’ve seen a tufted titmouse and a white nuthatch zooming back and forth from the feeders to trees in the area. While I was watching a downy woodpecker enjoying one of the suet cakes and larger, red-breasted woodpecker flew in to partake of the cake on the other side of the feeder! Oh, the beauty of wildlife!

I love watching titmice flit about (and though titmouses is equally acceptable, they have no connection to the furry little critters – the second syllable is based on the Old English word mase, which means “small bird.”) They remind me of miniature cardinals dressed in grey with a hint of rusty-red under their wings, but they aren’t related to them.

I also very much enjoy learning about birds. The Cornell Labs All About Birds website is full of interesting information. One thing I learned is that you’ll often hear the high, whistled peter-peter-peter song well before you see the bird. (That’s a biblical connection, right?)

Another interesting tidbit I gleaned from Cornell Labs is that Tufted Titmice often line the inner cup of their nest with hair, sometimes plucked directly from living animals. The list of hair types identified from old nests includes raccoons, opossums, mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, livestock, pets, and even humans.

With that in mind, I got to writing this afternoon. I knew that there was a verse talking about sparrows in particular and that there was one about God knowing the number of hairs on our heads. And lo and behold, they were in the same verse! Matthew 10:29-31 records Jesus saying,

Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered [for the Father is sovereign and has complete knowledge].   AMP

God loves his creation, and us in particular. He knows if a bird falls to the ground, He knows the number of hairs on your head, and I’m sure He knows if any of your hair lines the inner cup of a tufted titmouse’s nest!

There are so many things in life that can bring us fear and anxiety. God is already there and already knows about those things. All we have to do is trust Him. Jesus’ command is short and to the point. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows – or titmice if you will!

Feb 12th, 2023, Sun, 4:22 pm