30 Days of Truth: Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Truth 26: Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.
I left my counseling session filled with fear and anxiety. I was afraid because I planned to take a huge step in a few days and share my story for the first time with someone close. My eyes filled with tears as the song “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” started playing on the radio.
I’d heard the song before.
But not like this.
I was driving in direct sunlight and singing at the top of my lungs – “I sing because I’m happy! I sing because I am free – His eye is on the sparrow – And I know He watches me….”
It was worship.
It went deep.
It made me think of birds again, and that verse, “Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Over the next few days, I rehearsed what I would say, and anticipated her responses over and over. I knew she had no idea and I was terrified of what she would think of me!
The day came and she was driving behind me. I stopped in the parking lot and looked in my rear-view mirror at her and thought, “I can’t do this!”
And then, I looked ahead and there was a beautiful little bird on the sign in front of me. I snapped the photo and smiled as I thought, “Even in the fire lane – His eye is on the sparrow!”
He gave me His peace, and as I sat down with my husband to share with her, the words just stumbled out. She looked shocked. When I stopped talking, she told me she was so proud of me. She said she knew how incredibly difficult it was for me to share with her because she had just completed the Darkness To Light training on her job. Her responses to me were so encouraging and helpful.
God is in the details. All of them.
God prepared me with the song and the bird to have the courage to tell her. I knew he was with me. I was not alone.
God prepared her with the Darkness to Light training. She knew all about the devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse. She knew how to respond to me. She told me she believed me, and that I was brave. She shared some of what she had learned in her training, and she knew I was not alone. She knew many suffered in silence. She hugged me, and told me again how proud she was of me.
God prepared the timing. He prompted me to tell her, and he prepared me to share again with others. I was learning to look for Him, and to listen for Him. He was teaching me to trust Him with everything.
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He is watching me.
When that fear ripples up (and it still does), I cling to this promise:
I am not forgotten by God.
He knows every hair on my head.
I don’t have to be afraid.
I am worth more than many sparrows.
You are not forgotten by God.
He knows every hair on your head.
You don’t have to be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
I hate that you were terrified of what others would think of you and that you went through this by yourself for so many years as a result. Those of us who know you and have been fortunate enough to have you in our lives would give most anything to have you see yourself through our eyes. You would see that you are more than enough. You are loved!