His Eye Is on the Sparrow

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, by Civilla D. Martin and Charles H. Gabriel

Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely
And long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant friend is he:
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.

 

Some links to help you take heart in the quest for wholeness:

As we talk about wholeness in body and spirit, it’s important to have a firm grasp on what we can expect as people of faith living in a broken world. As my pastor mentioned in a sermon last week, even the people who experienced miraculous healings at the hand of Jesus, they themselves eventually experienced death. In this article, Tyanne of Lamp on a Stand shares a “healthy” perspective on the dangers of the health/wealth/prosperity gospel (if it can really be called gospel at all!).

With the recent suicide of country star Mindy McCready, one blogger opens up in remembrance of her own sister who died by choice eight years ago. This piece gives dignity to the ones battling mental illness and gives insight on how to respond to those individuals and their families.

You’ll want to keep your ears open for news about Elizabeth Johnson’s upcoming release of Touching the Hem: A Biblical Response to Physical Affliction, but for now you can visit her blog to find a wealth of insight on how to take heart in chronic illness, like this: “As lifeblood flowed back into me, and I grew stronger and more aware of things again, I found myself a changed person…. This is your only time on this earth. You only get to live through it once. Don’t live with your eyes shut, always waiting for something big.”

For this part of our series, I started writing a post about suffering from depression when I was on the mission field over a decade ago, but I just couldn’t churn it all out in time. Instead, I leave you with this post about Tsh Oxenreider’s own battle with severe depression when she and her family worked for a not-for-profit overseas. Her vulnerability models courage for those who need to admit their struggle and ask for help, and her therapist’s wisdom on functioning in a less-than-convenient environment is something for the recovering perfectionist to remember: “…he asked me to look at my lifestyle as full of partial solutions.”

 

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This week in our Take Heart series we’re talking about the quest for wholeness, whether physical challenges, illness or emotional struggle. I hope you’ll take time to read the amazing array of posts from our guest writers this month and let us know what resonates with you and your experience.