The story of the sparrow and the crows
There was once a small and helpless sparrow that was flying across several fields. A storm came upon the horizon, and the sparrow sought shelter.
As the clouds rolled in, the sparrow tried to shelter within a great and beautiful oak tree. Its leaves and branches shielded the little sparrow from the small raindrops that had begun to fall.
Just then, a group of large black crows came under the same branches. They cawed, crowed, screeched, and complained at the presence of the little helpless sparrow.
“Get out of our branches, screeched the crows! This is our tree!
“Oh, please let me stay here,” begged the sparrow. “The clouds are dark, the wind is blowing, and the raindrops are so heavy. If we huddle together, we can all be safe!”
“No,” shouted the crows all the more! “This is ours, you cannot stay!” And with that, the crows pushed the little sparrow off the branches and sent him back out into the darkness.
And the God of creation heard them….
The sparrow moved on, the sky shifted from grey to green. Clouds began to swirl, winds grew louder, and small raindrops transformed to hailstones. The sparrow found shelter inside the trunk of a worn-out, half-rotten trunk of a dying maple tree. The hail came, the winds blew, and almost all the light left the sky.
The crows were hit by many hailstones, as their beautiful oak tree was destroyed because the proud branches could not shield them. Many were injured, and some even died. But the sparrow was safe inside the smaller, older, half-rotten humble maple.
The next day, the surviving crows saw the sparrow and asked, “How did you survive the storm?”
The sparrow responded with a scripture: Psalm 72:12: “ The Bible tells us, ‘For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.” The sparrow explained to the proud crows, “God looks out for those whom no one else will help or who have been wrongly mistreated.”
Remember, your church is not YOUR church. Like the tree that God planted, your church was planted by God. As quickly as He can bless it, is as quickly as His hand of blessing can come off of it. What makes the difference? How you treat and love those who come into your church or organization. Whether they be a visitor, a new pastor, or a new staff member. God will not honor the place you shelter in spiritually if you have decided it is YOURS and not God’s, or if only certain people who look and act as you do belong there. No matter how strong, proud, capable, and large it is. Your church can fall with a great crash if it loses its purpose. God’s hand can come off of it. His hand of blessing will move on if you treat your visitors, pastors, or friends as an unwelcome problem rather than as people to be seen and loved. Be kind, respectful, and decent to those who visit your church. Be thankful for the vulnerable people, the crying children, and the lost souls that stumble in. It is the very few who come to cause trouble or chaos. When new visitors arrive, whether as a new staff member or a guest, consider their perspective. They may have been seeking spiritual shelter for some time. Make room for them. For that is the reason your place of worship exists.