Saturday, August 4, 2007

Hair to be Different


Matthew 10: 29-31
“What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

The most frequently asked question when non-doggy people come to our house and see all my English Cocker Spaniel dogs and/or puppies is, “HOW do you tell them all apart??!!!”. I find this such an odd question because they all look different to me! I can tell you which one is a bit more “stocky”, which one is a slightly different shade of color than the next, which one has rounder eyes than the next, which one has a certain spot of white on the chest, which one has a swirl in the hair on the shoulder…I could go on and on. Beyond appearances, I can also tell you which one is shy, which one is bold, which one is silly, and which one “thinks too much”. Though they were made in the image of their sire and dam, they are each uniquely beautiful and special to me.

God tells us “the very hairs on your head are all numbered”. Wow. I have never gotten to the point of numbering the fur on my dogs! All of mankind and all the wondrous diversity, yet God knows each of us down to the very hairs on our head. Sometimes we can feel so insignificant and irrelevant in life, like if we disappeared perhaps nobody would notice. My friend, God would notice. He knows not just our outward appearance, but the very thoughts and secrets of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). He knows our fears, our insecurities, and our weaknesses. But, He also knows our gifts, our talents, and our strengths. We are not insignificant to God. We are valuable to Him - more than a “flock of sparrows” and more than even a herd of happy, wiggly tailed English Cockers! We are uniquely beautiful, made in His image, and individually crafted….so that collectively, God can masterfully paint Himself a magnificent canvas of the glorious “body of Christ”.

Recognize your beauty to God, value your purpose for His purpose. Let God use you to “color His world".

In Christ and covered in dog hair,

Debbie Owczarzak

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for these thoughts, Deb. This is something I really needed to hear. I have been feeling very 'invisible' lately. I know I'm special to God, but I was having a big, old, pity party because it felt as though I was insignificant and replacable in His body. That's just the thing...I've been going by my feelings, which is never a good thing.
The thing I'm going to meditate on today is, "value your purpose for HIS purpose."

Debbie Owczarzak said...

Oh Lisa, you are not insignificant at all! You bring sunshine to this world...on both sides of the street! ;-)
If you are still feeling invisible by the end of the day, give me a call and we'll go out for ice cream. :-)
Your friend, Deb

Lisa said...

That brought a smile! Thanks, Deb!

Unknown said...

Very good post, Deb, as always. :)

I can't wait to get a cocker pup someday. It'll be at least 5 years, but, "good things come to those who wait."

God bless,
Heather

chrissy said...

Between reading your about YOU and your blog (that I linked to from http://sunnysideofthestreet.squarespace.com/journal/) I can see right where you are comming from. I can totally understand what you are speaking of, God knows us all even if we don't know who is who!!!!!!

chrissy said...

He knows our HEART!!!

Anonymous said...

Deb,
I just love your insight. I've been thinking lately about how God is literally screaming to us through his creation (dogs and all). It's like God gives us a huge physical picture of what He is like and examples of the principles taught in His word through his creation. It is so neat to hear the comparisons you get from watching your dogs...
Trish

Debbie Owczarzak said...

Trish, what you say is exactly what God says in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made". When you think about it, Jesus spent most of His ministry sharing parables of natural things to teach spiritual things!!
Thanks for visiting, Trish!
Deb