Every Single Sparrow – or Starling

During my recent trip out of state I especially noticed news broadcasting everywhere. People are talking about terrorism from numerous sources, genetically modified food organisms, health and environmental issues and global financial crisis that were unimaginable when I was young. With all our advancements it seems the roots of greed and the lust for power also corrupt faster than ever. We can honestly say the world has changed.

​Home now, I walked through my local park again when a typical scene caught my attention. Hundreds of starlings. ​I can’t stop thinking about them, especially the way they noisily they cover trees or the ground, their chirping rising until not much else can be heard. And then suddenly the chirping would abruptly pause and the birds would all take wing – all in the same direction and then all turned sharply into another direction. Together.

Captivated, I stopped and waited. I watched hoping to catch some video of the flocks as they took off. Not a great photographer, that didn’t happen. Even so, I clearly recall the sounds, the images and the feelings I experienced. I can’t stop thinking about those birds.

A little farther on I noticed a couple of older gentlemen also enjoying the unseasonably warm, sunny morning. Soon I realized they were arguing until they stomped off in different directions from one another. Moments later, a loud “boom” sounded from the highway nearby. I jumped at the sudden sound and looked around carefully. Almost immediately I also noticed the same two men hurrying toward one another again. Reaching for one another, they grasped each other’s hands, did the man-hug and then walked toward the park wall – together – perhaps to investigate. Whatever had upset them seemed to be forgotten.

I wondered again about the starlings. Whatever set them to flight as they chirped away, they flew together. Not one bird bumped into another. None screamed to be the leader. There were no stragglers, I didn’t see one bird left behind. They moved like a large black cloud – together.

I wonder what if people imitated the starlings more.

I’ll certainly continue praying that mankind realizes how we need one another, that we learn to not let disagreements or upsets drive us apart. I’ll keep hoping that we stop dividing over ignorance, fear and hatred. I shall keep believing in God’s perfect creation. I am certain I will continue to marvel over human behavior, the starlings – and the sparrows as long as I live.

“​What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:19-31​