Cares and Hairs

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 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 

I saw it fall.  

Right there in front of me the striking blue blossom loosened its grip on the orchid’s stem and floated to a landing in the center of my kitchen table. 

“Aww…” I moaned, pausing from my work just a moment to mourn the demise of my gorgeous centerpiece. 

Then I returned to the task at hand—tidying up the kitchen. But I left the blossom there. Maybe because it matched my mood. My kitchen table once decorated with smiling faces at each place was now set with piles of bills and a fading flower in its midst. 

A speck of green on the bench caught my attention. As I leaned down, I realized it was a tiny hair band. 

That’s where that got to. I remembered earlier in the week I had picked up my pony-tailed two-year-old granddaughter Addie from day care, and she wasn’t at my house long before the pony-tail disappeared. 

I reached for the band and noticed a blonde strand intertwined. “Aww…Addie’s hair,” I whispered as I picked it up, being careful not to lose the strand. A groan slipped through my heart, mourning Addie’s loss of the strand, yet treasuring the part of my beloved that I held in my hand. 

Then I heard it. “Such is my love for you. Not one sparrow will fall to the ground outside my care. 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).

Thank You, God. 

I needed that reminder. Sometimes I lose my focus. I spend too much time dwelling on my circumstances, rather than on Him. He never loses focus. His eyes are fixed on us. He notices when a single strand falls from our head and keep tracks of the numbers. He notices when our hearts break when children leave home, when loved ones pass on, and when we suffer devastating loss. He sees the piles of bills—and keeps track of the numbers. He knows what we need—food, drink, clothes. And He responds,  

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!”—Luke 12:27-28 

Yeah, maybe the blossom will remain on my table a little longer. A reminder that God will provide all that I need—clothes, food, funds to pay the bills, and comfort when my heart aches—for I am His beloved and He holds my life in His hands (Job 12:10).  

Dear God, thank You for gentle reminders that You whisper into my soul, for Your care beyond measure, and Your innumerable blessings—such as the joy of grandchildren and the beauty of orchids. Amen. 

He keeps track of what counts in our life.