Art & Soul Post #5 by Leslie Wittenmyer
Have you ever experienced the love of God in a way that moved you beyond words? Sometimes God uses the most surprising things to tell us what’s on His heart. This is my story of how God used birds to show me the depth of His love for me.
About four years ago, I decided to start memorizing scripture because I felt I didn’t know enough. One of the first scriptures that I came upon and decided to memorize was Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV): “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” What drew me to this scripture…or Who? God knew something that I did not.
It was sometime later that I found a Christian article that discussed the meaning of small birds in the Bible, and I decided to read it as I waited for the end of my work shift. In Old Testament times, small birds were a nuisance. Nobody liked or cared for the small birds, but God loved them enough to not let one fall to the ground apart from His will. It gave me a new perspective on my value just to know that God loved them that much but that His love for us is amplified so much more than His love for these birds. At the time, I was making short video devotionals to send to ladies in my life that I felt needed encouragement, and I used this information to explain God’s love for them.
The very next day, the person I had been dating decided to break up with me. I didn’t understand why and was very hurt. Knowing how much I loved to fish, one of my dear sisters in Christ convinced me to go out to the lake and do some fishing. As I sat by the lake with my pole in my hands, I began to cry and pour my heart out to God. I had the same worm on my hook for over an hour and didn’t even get one nibble. I was hurt, confused, and frustrated. I decided to fold up my fishing pole and lie down over the rocks.
When I looked up into the sky, there were two little birds flying over me. Somehow, I knew that God was reminding me that He loved me and that He would take care of me so that I could keep going.
I was inspired by God’s Word to do these paintings of little birds because they are a sweet reminder of His love for me and that, no matter what I go through, God will be there to take care of me.
Soon after my day at the lake, I received a voicemail from a lady who attended my church but that I had never met. I looked in the church directory for her photo, but did not find one. She asked if I would meet her in the parking lot of the local Dollar General because she had something for me. When I got there, she walked towards me with a bag in her hand. She took out a quilt and began to tell me the story behind the quilt.
She had been making this quilt for her friend in California when she heard God say, “Give it to Leslie.” She told God that her friend would absolutely love it, but God insisted that she give the quilt to Leslie. She then asked, “Who is Leslie?” He replied, “I’ll show you.” That Sunday at church, a young woman walked up to her and said, “I’ve never given you a hug before. Let me give you a hug.” She said nobody had ever given her a hug so big at our church before. She knew that God was showing her who Leslie was, and that young woman was me. From that time on, she prayed for me as she continued making the quilt. When she got to the back of the quilt, she had material with purple flowers that would have been a perfect match for the front, but God told her not to use the flowered material. After some debate with God, she said, “Okay…What do you want on the back?” He told her, “Birds.”
As she got to this point in her story, she folded over the corner of the quilt for me to see the birds, and I began to cry. I had never met this woman before. I had never told her my story about the birds and what they meant to me. Yet, here she was following the instructions of God, and here was God continuing to show how much He loves me.
Even now, God still uses the birds to minister to me. On rough days, I look outside and there is a bush full of sparrows to remind me of His faithfulness and love for me.
These paintings, Two Sparrows, A Father’s Love, and Worth More, symbolize the love of God for you, the love of God for me.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
In the love of Christ,
Leslie
Leslie Wittenmyer
Painter and founding member of Redeemer's Heart
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1 thought on “Worth More Than Sparrows”
Thanks so much for sharing your story Leslie! It moves me so much! I love how God used the older woman in your story to show His love for you! How many times do we get distracted and then ignore the promptings of Holy Spirit to impact the lives of others? Your story motivates me to really try to listen more to everything God is trying to tell me. It’s in these acts of kindness and obedience that God’s love is shown and hearts are won for eternity.