Remember the Sparrow

I am a fish killer. One morning last week my goldfish Sparrow (RIP) was floating upside down in the top of his bowl. I lovingly and sadly scooped him out with the net. No movement or flutter of little happy fins. I carried him to the bathroom with tears in my eyes. No movement. I plopped him into the toilet and THEN he started to swim. Did I scoop him out and rinse him off? NOOOOO, I took a deep (sad & teary) breath and flushed. I closed the lid because I could not look. I am a fish killer.

It is bad to be a fish killer. People stop trusting you to babysit their fish, and worse, when you tell them that another fish has passed away to the great fish bowl in the sky, they accuse you of “setting it free”. Sparrow is not the first fish I have sent prematurely to a watery grave, and likely is not the last. Every once in a while I think, “We need a fish”.  Maybe I should be dissuaded by the fish sales person who thinks it is inhumane to put a goldfish in an actual bowl. Apparently a full tank is needed. I must interject here that Sparrow had a long (for a goldfish) and happy life.

I chose the name Sparrow for my fish for two reasons:  I named him Captain Jack Sparrow because fish come from the sea and so do pirates. But I also named him Sparrow because it reminded me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible which is found in Matthew 10. Jesus is talking with the disciples about the hard path of discipleship. He tells them that if a single sparrow falls from the sky, the Father is aware of it. If a single, seemingly insignificant bird or a tiny goldfish perish, our Father is aware of it. Matthew 10:31, says this, “So don’t be afraid, you are more important to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” 

In the middle of whatever is going on in my life, whether big or small, I take comfort in the fact that God cares for me. He has given the birds of the air everything they need and they are just birds. I, His beloved child, am given so much more. I, His beloved child, have value to God. And so, I remember the Sparrow.