Mabel

Ninan

Dead or alive?

A little sparrow sat perfectly still on the deck of my patio. I tip-toed toward the bird. She made no attempt to fly away. I knelt down beside the poor creature and studied her delicate features and beautiful colors. Shades of grey and white crisscrossed the little bird’s body, forming patterns that could mesmerize an artist. A splatter of yellow on its belly added to its beauty.

I can’t leave her here, out in the open.

The sparrow shivered when I touched her, and opened her eyes slightly. I examined her thoroughly like an animal detective. No signs of injury.

I scooped the bird into my hands gently and took her inside the kitchen. On the counter, I found an empty carton of granola bars. I ripped off the top and lined the carton with a kitchen towel. Perfect! I placed the bird in the makeshift nest. She was safe here, both from the wintery cold and my ever-hungry dog.

I grabbed my laptop and searched the Internet for advice to deal with abandoned or injured birds. One wise birder suggested that birds sometimes went into a temporary state of shock when they flew into a glass window. With time, he said, they recover from the accident and fly away.

Maybe the pretty bird flew into the French windows of my living room. Could she have been so scared that every muscle in her body froze?

I could relate to her.

We had recently moved from Los Angeles to San Jose. I missed the beachy vibe of my former town which had been home for over six years. I had friends who had become family. My Bible study mates became a community. I was settled and rooted.

When we moved, the rug was pulled out from under me. The change overwhelmed me. The unfamiliarity disoriented me. Paralyzed by loneliness, I did the bare minimum to get through the day. Daily chores became drudgery. No activity seemed enjoyable. Like the sparrow, I was incapacitated, stunned by the enormity of the change that shook my world.

Until God intervened.

He did not leave me on my own to weather the elements ...

"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” (

Psalms 34:15 Close Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right;  his ears are open to their cries for help. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

NIV)

God sent His people, strangers to me but friends with Him, to pick me up and provide shelter while I regained my perspective and renewed my faith. Old friends called and prayed with me, pointing me to God’s goodness. A parent from my son’s school befriended me and showed me around San Francisco. Within two months of moving, we found a church that felt like home the minute we walked into the sanctuary. We were invited to a Bible study by a family we met at church.

On my own, I was weak. But God provided community to pull me up and push me forward.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up ...” (

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Close 1 Thessalonians 5:11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)

NIV)

They reminded me that I could trust God even more in the midst of unknown surroundings and an uncertain future.

And before I knew it, I began to fly again.

Back in the kitchen, after 10 minutes or so, the sparrow fluttered its wings. With eyes opened wide, it searched for a way out. I opened the door to my patio and watched in amazement as the bird soared into the sky with new-found vigor and vision.

Copyright © 2020 Mabel Ninan, used with permission.

For a short period in our lives, due to the nature of my husband’s work, my husband and I moved frequently and lived in furnished apartments wherever we went. Our stay in these apartments lasted between six and 18 months. We learned quickly that having too many possessions was a burden. The apartments had all the basic amenities we needed. We only had to take care of our food and clothing. Whenever we considered purchasing something, we had to ask ourselves if this new possession would suit our nomadic lifestyle.

I am also an immigrant. When I moved to America, I had to leave things behind that I was not only attached to but were integral to my identity. I grieved the loss of my precious belongings but I realized later on that they were only things, things that I could, frankly, do without.

All the packing, unpacking, moving, and settling gave me a chance to revisit my perspective on possessions and priorities. Given that I am an immigrant on earth (

) and a citizen of heaven ( ), I asked myself what my attitude towards earthly wealth and materialism should be.

It is no mystery that our lives on earth are temporary. When we die, we move on to a better place. We move in with God, in His dwelling place in heaven, forever. The things we own on earth cannot be taken with us to our final destination (

). So why do we bother?

We do bother. A lot of hard work, time, money, and energy goes into planning and acquiring stuff. A better car. A remodeled house. A new iPad. Our things matter to us. Our identity is wrapped around the things we own. They make us feel important and valuable. We hope that our wealth will help us through bad times, win us friends and status, and secure our future.

And, the more we have, the more we want. If we are not careful, greed can seep into the cracks and corners of our minds and hearts. It can transform our lifestyles and make us unrecognizable as Christians. We can become so caught up in filling up our earthly purses that we lose sight of our true identity and purpose on earth.

As God’s children, we are called to a higher and better standard. The Bible commands us not to worry at all about what we will eat, drink or wear (

). Jesus said,

“The pagan world runs after all such things ...” Luke 12:30 (NIV).

Our Father knows what we need and is more than capable of providing for us (

). So, we put our trust and hope in Him, not in our earthly assets.

Jesus is not against money and wealth. But He urges us to honestly examine our hearts and see who or what we love and cherish most (

). If we love the things of the world, we will spend our lives, in vain, chasing after them. The love of money makes us unfruitful and unsatisfied Christians.

But if our hearts beat for Jesus, we will be driven to seek His kingdom. As citizens of God’s heavenly kingdom, we are called to make every effort toward storing up treasures in heaven, treasures that are indestructible and immortal (Matthew 6:33). We become rich in heavenly wealth when we do good, when we are generous and share with others, (

) and when we love sacrificially, serve others, and make disciples.

My experience as an immigrant has taught me not to develop a strong attachment for things, not to let my possessions define me, and not to derive my sense of worth, significance, and security from them. I want to cultivate a heart that loves God above all else. He alone is worthy of my affection and devotion. The transience and fragility of worldly things remind me to depend on God to supply my needs according to His riches in glory.

I want to travel light, while I’m here on earth. I want to chase after things that matter to God, so that I know I will be rich when I get to heaven. Won't you join me?

Copyright © 2019 Mabel Ninan, used with permission.