Is your God big enough to care about the little things?
Mine is.
In Luke 12:7 Jesus said that God numbers the hairs on our heads. In Matthew 6, he refers to God as our Father and reminds us that if he took the time to make flowers beautiful, he will certainly see to our need for food and clothing.
Some may argue that the selection from Luke represents hyperbole, a literary device that uses exaggeration to emphasize a point. However, if we deeply love someone, then whatever distresses or concerns him or her becomes our concern as well and we want to help if we can. Those verses in Matthew 6 indicate that it is the same with our heavenly Father.
A friend recently shared a story of finding two birds on the same day, one dead and the other a fledgling that had fallen from its nest. She asked God why he had allowed her to come upon these two small creatures and did he really care about them. She sensed him saying clearly that he did—and cared about her even more.
Her story encouraged me. I am a real animal lover and for the past two years while staffing a missionary training school at a Youth With a Mission campus in Kona, HI, I have taken over the care of a free-roaming gray and white kitty named Violet. Violet is the unofficial pet of Ruth, an elderly, part-time volunteer at the campus library. It didn’t take long for me to become quite fond of my little furry friend.
Ruth usually leaves Hawaii during the hottest months—mid-May through mid-October—and goes home to Pennsylvania. This time I was going back to the mainland earlier than usual and could only care for Violet for a small portion of the time Ruth would be gone.
We looked for a caretaker for Violet for several weeks but no one offered to help. I thought of how even though she might be able to find food for herself, those long months with no one to care for her would leave her feeling lonely and forgotten. Complicating the issue was her feline herpes—communicable only to other cats—but kept at bay by daily medication. Though Violet was currently healthy, months without her medication could allow the disease to spread to her lungs, making breathing difficult and causing needless suffering. So Ruth and I faced the sad prospect of euthanizing our little pet if no one stepped up to the plate.
So I kept on praying. “Lord, I know it’s only a cat and some people might think I am being silly but please don’t let us have to say goodbye to our sweet girl quite yet.” The prospect of such a goodbye especially made my heart ache when Violet climbed onto my lap one evening and relaxed there for perhaps a half an hour. I finally had to set her down and she meowed her protest.
And then one morning, as I again brought Violet before the Lord, I sensed Him saying, “Cheryl, don’t you realize I care about everything you care about—even a little cat?” Peace settled over me.
Over the next few days, two people contacted me and offered to care for Violet after I returned to the mainland. I sighed with relief and sent my heartfelt thanks heavenward. I was reminded once again of the wonderful, loving character of our Heavenly Father.
Your “little thing” may not be a kitty, but be assured that God is concerned for you as well!
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