Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Fifth Sparrow

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Currently I am reading a book by Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. I first came across the book in my friend, Funsho’s house some months ago, and ever since then, after reading just the first two pages, I was sure I was going to own a copy of the said book. While reading, I came across some scripture passages that gave me some exposition I hadn’t seen before, hence I thought I’d build on that and share with anyone who comes across this blog.

In Matthew 10:29, the Bible says that two sparrows are sold for a farthing, yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father’s knowledge and protection; it goes on in verse 31 to say that we should not fear because we are of more value than many sparrows. This passage is a reassurance of God’s watchful protection over us and His keen eye for the details in our lives.

There is a similar passage in Luke 12:6, similar but with an interesting twist/addition to it. It says that are not five sparrows sold for 2 farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten by God? Simple math: 2 sparrows would cost 1 farthing, so 4 sparrows should cost 2 farthings, but then in this recent passage, 5, and not 4 sparrows cost 2 farthings, from which we can freely suggest that there is a bonus sparrow, one which has no cost, no real value, but is thrown in there for being such a magnanimous customer. (It kinda makes you wonder how many free sparrows you would get if you were buying 10 farthings worth – might not even be legal to do so). This Fifth Sparrow is the crux of the matter.

There are a lot of ‘fifth sparrow(s)’ in our contemporary world today, people who don’t think they are worth anything to anyone except those whom nature has enforced the responsibility on; who get easily lost in any crowd, those who think they have no showcase-able talent, those who believe that if they stay in their houses for three months, only their landlords will come to visit them, and even that is to collect the month’s rent; those whose parents never call them and the only time they talk to each other is when they are asking for money, and their parents non-comittally give it to them; those who believe life has not dealt them a fair hand or given them a fair chance, while bestowing multiple talents and opportunities on others.

The problem with this line of thinking is that, the Bible has said that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he: whoever thinks that he/she is nobody will be nobody. This means that the individual will not amount to much in life, he will always despise other people, and will live in a constant state of depression, useless to himself and his society. He always sees himself as less than average. He will constantly pass up opportunities to progress and grow, thinking that such are only meant  for those who have been ‘well-endowed’ with skill and potential. He will also doubt the fact that God loves him, or has any interest in him, or might even accuse God of creating him as a defective product. The individual may not exhibit all the described features, but that individual is definitely looking at a lower quality of life.

Now, on a personal note, after hearing how much those sparrows cost, I’m not sure I want to be referred to as such, but at least the first four had some value. Imagine being the fifth sparrow, the one with no value among those with so little value in themselves.

God said in Matt. 10 that even the hairs of your head are counted (v. 30). Who counts hair? No one does, but to know that God has, that adds a sense of worth. If God knows detail as minute as how many strands of hair I have on my head, if He cares and knows about things that I don’t even regard in the first place, then He definitely knows about what I am going through in my life, about my weaknesses, my short-comings, my strengths, my social life, my academics, my workplace, everything. He also goes on to say that nothing happens to any one of these birds without His knowledge, and then He says that I am worth more than many sparrows. If God pays so much attention to these little birds, and I am worth more, it means, without any doubt in my mind, that I am special.

If I realize that God values me so dearly, then I would claim everything He has said about me; He has made so many promises to me, and I believe every single one for myself. I have no reason to be depressed about anything because the joy of the Lord is my strength; I have no reason to dread an empty pocket because God gives me power to create wealth. I am not concerned about how people perceive me or observe me because I am created in God’s image.

Unwittingly, many people have been called, and have referred to themselves as a ‘Fifth Sparrow’; but even then, God loves you, and He cares for you to pin-point perfection, taking note of the things you don’t and constantly looking out for you. God sees you as worth something; you should too.

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