I've got an interesting story to share with you.  While working at my dad's place today, doing spring chores and cleaning up the homestead, I was standing near the porch on break when I heard this odd "whack, twang" sound.  I look up just in time to see something odd looking fall from the sky near the garden and into the grass.  So, being the curious person that I am, I walk over to see what it was, and low and behold, it's a sparrow.  As best I can figure it flew down from the tree behind me, and not seeing the tension support wire for the telephone pole in front of it, the little bird Tboned it head on and completely knocked itself out.

It wasn't badly hurt, but it did partially mangle its face and you could tell it was hurting pretty badly.  It took a good 5 minutes for it to come out of the shock and concussion from the impact.  During the entire time I sat by its side protecting it from the local predators, periodically stroking its feathers gently and talking kindly to it, encouraging the little bird as it slowly recovered.  Eventually it started responding to me, but was clearly terrified.  But it was so badly hurt it couldn't move.  So I continued to sit with it as it recovered.

Eventually I had to get up to go to lunch, so I put the bird in a protected spot in the lawn and left it there to continue its recovery.  I came out twenty minutes later and it was still clearly in shock, but doing better.  So I sat down and talked with it a while longer, making sure all was fine, gently stroking its feathers, and encouraging it to take its time getting better.  Eventually it started to hop so, thinking it was doing well enough, I went and did some chores.  When I came back it was still on the ground in the exact same place I left it.

So I walked up to the bird, smiling and talking nicely to it, trying to encourage it to fly.  It's wings worked, but you could tell it was bruised and wounded badly enough it couldn't go airborne.  So I walked slowly towards it as the bird frantically tried to hop away, not realizing I was trying to coax it to go over to a sheltered place where it'd be safe from predators.  Finally I got it to a reasonably safe place and left it be with still more encouraging words.  I came back half an hour later and found it about in the same place as before.

However, this time it was surrounded by a lot of other sparrows that all seemed concerned about their friend and were talking with him and trying to encourage him to fly to safety.  I walked over, inadvertently scattering the others, and talked with the little sparrow again.  He seemed a bit skittish of me, but not as much, I guess realizing that I wasn't there to hurt him, and that I only wanted to check on him.  I said my goodbye and that I was praying he'd get better (I actually did pray that the little sparrow would get healed) and then wished him the best.

While the whole experience might seem a bit weird to some, to me it was comforting knowing what I'd been like at one time.  Before I found Christ I was generally cruel to animals, birds especially.  They felt my wrath like there's no tomorrow.  Yet since my salvation I've given up all hunting (although I do occasionally fish) and taken a special interest in the wellbeing of the animal life around me, trying to be as friendly and caring as I can.  It's kind of an interesting experience thinking back to how I once was, compared with how I am now.  Hatred and anger vs love and compassion.

I guess it's one of the very pleasant side effects of the caring, loving compassion of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  For He first loved me, now I too can love others.  And I mean truly love them.  Not a superficial love, or a shallow, self serving love.  This is a real love and compassion from the bottom of my heart.  It also reminds me, seeing that wounded sparrow today, that if God can love and care for even such a small, helpless creature, He can care for each of us as much, if not more.  What a wonderful God we serve. :D