Hanging on to Minnows

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

 My kids have always had an avid interest in nature and over the years we've had some interesting "pets" in our home, including caterpillars/butterflies, ladybugs, beetles, millipedes and even a snapping turtle.  In the past year, they've taken a great interest in fishing and all things relating to fish.  Naturally this translated to their desire to have fish as pets, because already having a dog, two cats and a bunny wasn't enough in our crazy house.  So last summer, as we explored the local creeks, the kids began to collect an assortment of different minnows and bring them home to live in their fish tanks.  Eight months later, the minnows are still going strong and giving the kids, and cats, much delight every day.

Nearby, we have a big store called Aquaworld that sells every kind of fish as well as a bizarre assortment of other creatures (alligators! snapping turtles! rabbits! quail!).  My kids LOVE going there...it's like a mini trip to the zoo...for free!  They have been interested in adding to their collection of minnows.  The fish there are much more colorful and interesting. But every time we've purchased a fish to put in the girls' tank, it is killed by or gets eaten by the minnows.  The store employee told us outright, the minnows have to go or we won't ever have success.  But when I asked the girls if they wanted to get rid of them, they just couldn't...they are too attached to them, and they don't want to kill them.  

Now I've got nothing against minnows.  They are still an important part of God's creation and beautiful and interesting in their own way, certainly.  But I just find it funny how much we become attached to things, the way we place such value on things, even when there is something out there so much better, so much more infinitely valuable.  I was reading Luke 12:6-7 last night, which speaks of the value God places on His creation, even keeping track of a single sparrow...but then how much more value He places on each of our lives.  He knows how many hairs are on our heads, stop and think about that fact for just a minute.  That kind of knowledge, that kind of intimacy is more than I can even grasp.  To know that much about me, His created one, shows how much care the Creator has for His Creation.  

My kids have poured a lot of research into which fish they will buy when they no longer have the minnows.  Their plan is to wait until warmer weather and release them back into the stream where they first caught them.  In researching other fish, their interest has only been further peaked.  One new discovery leads to another...and another...  In the same way, I find that opening up the Bible and reading a verse can lead to more and more understanding the more we dig into it.  The more we read, the more we discover its continuing relevance for our lives.  The more we read the more we want to know, to understand, to be immersed in it.  Don't be satisfied with just the minnows...crave so much more....

God, help me never forget how much I am loved by You.  Help me not to hang on to the mere minnows in this life but to grasp firmly on to You, and to all that You have to offer me.  Increase my knowledge and understanding of You daily.  Help me to remember my lost state and how very much I need You, Your forgiveness, Your grace, Your mercy.  Give me the appropriate reverence for You and for Your Word that you have given to me.  Help me, and my fickle heart, to desire You more than anything else. I thank You for caring about me, so very much!

A Torn Book and a Lesson on Love

Lamentations 3:22-23  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

It's that time of year again when we are encouraged to think about "LOVE"....Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  This week the older kids worked on some Valentines to give to their friends.  I was ordering some groceries online and happened to see the cutest little Pop-Up Book and added it to my cart for Tessa so she wouldn't feel left out of the Valentine's Day fun.  The book arrived and it was everything I expected it to be, a sweet story of love and friendship and gifts given from one friend to another.  I knew it was delicate and told the kids not to let her have it unless they were reading it to her.  Sadly, the book only made it unharmed for about four days, because last night dear Tessa got a hold of it and ripped many of the pieces right out of it.  My gift of love for her...demolished in seconds.  To add insult to injury, she stuck several of the torn pieces into the bunny's cage. Roxie the rabbit was happy to assist in the destruction and chewed on some of the ripped pieces even more.

I was mad!  Yes it sounds so stupid now, but I could not believe she would just destroy a brand new book in this manner.  I mean, almost every book she owns is held together with tape since it's been read by the 5 kids ahead of her in line.  This was special...just for her...and she treated it as if it was nothing.  

As I watched her splashing around in the bath a few minutes later, oblivious to the emotional anguish she had caused me, a thought struck my heart light lightning.  

Doesn't God give me wonderful gifts, all the time, every day, that I trample over in ignorance?  Didn't He give me the greatest gift ever given in history, the gift of His own Son? (and look how He was treated...and still is treated) Instead of treating my relationship with Him with the reverence it deserves, it gets pushed to the back burner of my life, every single day.  If I logged the hours I spend doing meaningless things compared to the time I spend, talking to and focusing on Him, it would be incredibly embarrassing.  It must look a lot like that torn up book...

But...His compassions never fail us.  They are new every morning.  This realization is almost more than I can comprehend when I think about how mad a silly book made me last night.  He is so gracious and forgiving and good.  He is LOVE beyond comprehension.  

Help me, Dear God, to remember the kind of love You have for me.  It is a love that never gives up, never ceases, and never fails.  Help me to love others the way You love them, forgiving and forgetting, not expecting anything in return.  Help me to remember all that You have done for me and all the ways  that you pour out your love on me every single day.  Amen!