House sparrow, Passer domesticus, on a December morning in Iowa.
photograph by Larissa Kierscht, The Lari Gallery

You have probably heard the saying, "it's a blessing and a curse," or "use your talents for good and not for evil." They remind us that there are two opposing forces in our fallen world fighting for the same territory. This dichotomy applies to our mind. Our thought processes, that is our mindset, can be either positive or negative. 

God has gifted us humans with a mind superior to the cognitive abilities of the rest of His creatures. But as Winston Churchill noted, "Where there is great power there is great responsibility." We have been given a powerful mind, but it is our responsibility to control it and to reign in its power when it becomes enticed by the negative and begins to oppose God's Word. 

One of our mind's incredible powers is the capacity to analyze. These analytical abilities were intended to be used to advance God's will, and to optimize His lovingkindness in ourselves and in this world. However, if we are not responsible and vigilant, negative forces can overtake our mind and take hold of those analytical skills, using them to torment us in the form of worry and despair. 

Advertisements for alcohol products state "drink responsibly," well, we need to "analyze responsibly." Handling our analytic power responsively means accepting a situation as it is and thinking of solutions that are grounded in reality. Matthew 6:24 is frank with us, ... Each day has enough trouble of its own. God guarantees that we will face challenges in our life. If we invest our mental energy with God's positive force of lovingkindness, we develop a positive mindset that helps us calmly work through the current situation. But if we act irresponsibly and allow ourselves to be scammed by the world's negative forces of fear and aversion, our mental energy will be consumed by the anticipation of controversy and inevitable pitfalls. 

It is yet another component of freewill. We have a choice. Do we trust God so therefore we reign in our analysis of tomorrow and focus on today's blessings? If we do, we honor God by using our mental energy to make today better. Or do we surrender to fear and in doing so defy God's order not to worry? We mock Him by inventing scenarios about tomorrow that will probably never happen. 

So how does such a simple creature as the common house sparrow spark a debate on good versus evil? First, it brings to mind Matthew 6:25-34. In these words, God repeats for us how valuable we are to Him and His promise to take care of us. Then it culminates in a blunt mandate: Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow...This leads to the discussion about the harmful mental process of worrying. How is it that a sparrow cannot worry but yet we humans, the superior of all beings, can and do? Finally, we acknowledge that worry does not come from God. So if we hold a negative mindset, it is because we have handed over God's powerful gift, the ability to analyze, to evil. 

God is in control. He sees us. He cares for us. We matter to Him. He equips us for today. Trust. ... 
The sparrow reminds us of this.

Even the Sparrow Knows @ The Lari Gallery

191201

Iowa - USA
2019 December

(Jason Gray's song, "Sparrows", is a beautiful reminder of God's expansive love for us and for all of His creation.)

Do Not Worry

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ^e ?

28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Passeridae – Old World Sparrows  The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is the most widespread and familiar of any North American sparrow species, however it is originally a European bird. House sparrows were introduced in 1851 in Brooklyn, New York, when a group of 100 birds from England was released. They rapidly adapted and have spread through many different types of habitats. The male birds have a distinct brown plumage, gray cap, black bill and black bib on a gray chest.

Esteemed

180703

Formigal - Huesca, España
Los Pirineos

2018 July

How do you know that you matter to God?
Consider this, as He was forming something as breathtakingly majestic as the Pyrenees Mountains, He also cared enough to infuse beauty into the most insignificant flower that unassumingly blooms in their shadow. God knew that the world's attention would be captivated by the splendor of the mountains. He knew that very few people would ever have their breath taken away by the intricacies of a flower no larger than their thumb. He knew that more would be trampled under the hiker's boot than would ever be noticed, let alone be admired. Yet there it is, a masterpiece all on its own. Regardless of whether anyone else ever sees it, God sees it. Maybe He created it for His own intimate enjoyment, His hidden treasure, esteemed by the only One that matters. 

No one or anything is insignificant to God. 

If you feel irrelevant, remember that you are one of God's treasures. And to be esteemed by Him is to be esteemed by the only One that matters.

http://www.thelarigallery.com/photo_esteemed_21_275.html

So many metaphors for life can be found in nature. 

photo by Larissa Kierscht, ©The Lari Gallery
http://www.thelarigallery.com/photo_queen-annes-lace-daucus-carota_21_272.html

Have you ever been there? Have you ever turned away and hidden from the world all of who you are? Alone and tightly guarded, you offer to everyone an unapproachable ball of intimidation. They would just as soon walk on by you than to stop and investigate what lies beyond your menacing façade.

photo by Larissa Kierscht, ©The Lari Gallery
http://www.thelarigallery.com/photo_queen-annes-lace-daucus-carota_21_273.html

But what others often disregard, God sees simply as a work in-progress. From God there are no secrets, nothing hidden. He sees you from the inside out. He knows that at the right time, you will show your unique beauty to the world. 

Photographs taken in the tallgrass prairie of Iowa, USA.

Welcome to my Home

Welcome to my Home

130804

Madagascar - Anatanarivo

2013 August

Lari’s Reflections:

Madagascar ranks as having one of the worst economies in the world. It is a poverty that, as an American, it is hard to wrap your mind around. I took this photograph in a typical neighborhood of impoverished cobbled-together homes. It has come to represent so much of what impacted me about this wonderful island. Even before noticing the destitute surroundings, it is the warm welcoming smile of the child that first captivates me. The child embodies the generous and congenial spirit of the Malagasy people. Although they have nothing, they are always ready to welcome you into their home and share with you what little they have. What you also see is their pride. Look beyond the scraps used to construct the home, and you will see a tidy organization and an attempt to keep even a dirt floor clean. I quickly came to respect the Malagasy for their strong work-ethic and resourcefulness. But I also had a very unexpected reaction to my experience in Madagascar, as much as I ached for the needs of the people, I coveted their ability to find joy in the non-material things of life. 

I am an advocate for short-term humanitarian trips because I believe that they are about helping and impacting the people going on the trip as much as the people they are going “to help.”

Just Another Mouth to Feed

Just Another Mouth to Feed

130803

Madagascar - Anatanarivo

2013 August

Lari’s Reflections:

The first Sunday in Madagascar, we were divided into groups of 4 and assigned to eat lunch with a local family. My group had a good distance to walk to the home of our hosts and we were being escorted there through the rutted back dirt roads, busy city streets and narrow winding foot-paths of the neighborhood. Along the way, on the side of one of the dirt roads, I saw ...this precious baby sitting on her blankets, all alone. I could see about a city block in each direction and there was no one to be found. There she sat. She had such a beautiful, sweet face. It struck me how a baby could seem so mature. I stopped. I looked around for her mother, for anyone....no one. I was frozen, my American mind could not wrap itself around what I was seeing. Our Malagasy guides were already paces in front of me, they walked on, unfazed by what had paralyzed me. I called out to one of them and he returned to where I stood staring at this beautiful child. I asked him, "Why is this baby here? Where are her parents?" Emotionally voided, the guide shrugged his shoulders and said, "Probably out looking through the trash somewhere, looking for food. Or maybe she doesn't have any." And he started walking off, telling me to hurry that we were going to be late for our lunch. "But...but...but, the baby. No one is watching her. What if someone takes her before they return for her? As emotionally confused as an American at what I was seeing, my Malagasy guide seemed just as confused at my question. He looked at me and answered, "Why would anyone want to take her...she would just be another mouth to feed."

My heart still aches for this little angel and I continue to keep her in my prayers. I call this photo, "Just Another Mouth to Feed."

Sunday's Best

Sunday's Best

130802

Madagascar - Anatanarivo

2013 August

Lari’s Reflections:
This is one of my favorite pictures from Madagascar. It was Sunday, our second day in Madagascar. Our guide had already gotten us lost on our way to the church we were suppose to attend. So he decided to take us to the Street Kids Center and attend their Sunday worship service. I sat behind this little girl and watched her joyfully praise the Lord. I call it her "Sunday-Best".

Strength & Dignity

130800

Madagascar - Anjomakely

2013 August

Lari’s Reflections:

My son and I went to Madagascar with the organization Jesus Film Bike and a Backpack. We rode motorcycles to the remote village of Anjomakely. The combination of the motorcycles and Americans drew quite a lot of attention. This was our first trip to the village and while the rest of the group was setting up to show the film, another rider and I took off on the bikes to explore the village. I had already learned that although I could not communicate with words, a smile and an offer to take a photograph was an effective means of communication.

I headed into a complex of modest huts on the outskirts of the village. The children ran out to greet us with giggles and smiling faces. They were overjoyed when I took out my camera. They loved to look at their image on the back of the camera and before I knew it I had everyone from the compound posing for me. A woman wanted to show off the bowl of rice that she had made for dinner. An older man insisted that I photograph him and his Zebu calf. The culmination was a group photograph of the residents of the compound.

Through all this excitement I noticed the humble little store across the road and the woman who sat attending it. She was watching the commotion but reserved herself from joining in. I crossed the road and motioned to her that I would like to take her picture. She smiled, agreed, and proudly straighten her posture.

Because of the overwhelming response to the film, the organizers planned a second trip to the same village. I got permission to have prints made of my photographs and on our second trip we made a return visit to our new friends and gave them the photographs. The interpreters told me that it was the only photographs that they had of their family. But it was the modest store owner that affected me the most. She cried and hugged me and without language, we formed an unexplainable connection.

To everyone's joy, a church was planted that week and we returned on Sunday for its first service. This time when we pulled into the village, she was waiting for us. Gone were her dirty clothes and tied back hair, replaced by a pretty dress and her hair had been combed and styled to show its feminine locks. After the service she spoke to me through interpreters. She called me her angel that God had sent to bring her hope. Her husband had abandoned her and their small grandson. She was left with nothing except the stigma placed on her and the self-determination to endure it with dignity. To try and provide what little she could, she had converted her home into a small store for the outlying complex. She had been very depressed and feeling hopeless but then our visit changed that.

I was humbled. What had I done except take a few photographs? It was at that moment when the world seemed so small to me. It is so easy to see these cultures on TV and feel like we share nothing, an us/them view of the world. I was awakened to the shared soul of humanity. I was awakened to my purpose and to the power of a camera and a smile.

 http://www.thelarigallery.com/photo_strength-and-dignity_13_171.html