January first came and went.
Then the 2nd. And 3rd.
That’s when panic hit.
Setting up my Bullet Journal and making goals is a highlight of my year. But this year, a kitchen makeover took precedence.
My cupboards are beautiful, but most importantly, I no longer wash dishes in the bathtub.
My husband sacrificed a great deal of time to gift me a beautiful kitchen, and I'm so very thankful.
However, the timing of this project interfered with my yearly planning. Being the all-or-nothing girl I am, by January 4th I had already written the year off. (I’m also dramatic, which is why novel writing is good for me. I can pour all the extra feelings into my characters.)
Somewhere in those lost days, I started thinking about a word for my year.
“Sparrow.”
That’s all that floated through my brain. No more. No less. And since I was feeling rather small, I thought it was sweet of the Lord to offer me a reminder that His eye is on me.
I had no goals yet for the year.
I felt completely out of my element with power tools. (The children removed me from drawer building.)
And, I had ended 2021 discouraged about my writing.
Seemed God was reminding me I didn't have to perform for Him, because He loved little ole me anyway. Which is true. And He does. (Also, it is the name of the fictional town in my novel, but I'm a quick decision-maker. So once "Sparrow" was in my head, there was no changing it.)
Turns out, "For his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me," is a line from one of my dad’s favorite hymns, but it’s not actually in the Bible. I had confused it with the ravens found in Luke 12, where Jesus tells us not to worry.
Instead, the word SPARROW falls into some of Jesus' most intense teaching with His disciples in the parallel passages of Matthew 10 and Luke 12.
Matthew 10 finds us listening in as Jesus commissions the twelve to:
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper...
Jesus told them they were sheep among wolves and to expect persecution. But He also promised them the help of the Holy Spirit.
But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak. For you will be given what to say at that hour, because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father is speaking through you.
And here is where the SPARROW part comes in.
Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Friends, this is a call to boldness. A call to faith. A call to remember that Jesus will usher in a New Creation, but until that time, we are to build the Kingdom.
This is fire. And I needed some.
I was drowning myself in amusements: Christmas novellas, Hallmark movies, Social Media. And they were not satisfying.
My days are numbered. The hairs on my head are numbered. And THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR.
The Father does see me, but not in a "woe is me" kind of way. He sees me and is ready to launch the Holy Spirit all over me whenever I have need.
So, I'm not writing off 2022. Sparrow is my word of the year. I am small. But with the Holy Spirit I am mighty.
I don't have my goals all worked out for this year. But I think I might add "raise the dead." It's time to live in faith!
Sparrow!