Earlier this week I drove to work utterly exhausted and completely overwhelmed. As I struggled to make my way through rush hour traffic, my mind was preoccupied with a million and one things. As the traffic grew worse so did my stress level. By the time I reached my office my mood was bleak and dismal.

There had been no disaster, no tragedy.  No major calamity had occurred. It just seemed that the everyday stresses of life, a nasty, lingering virus and the stress associated with Holiday preparations had combined their forces against me and I was losing.

Just when I was about to wave a white flag and concede defeat, a dear friend stopped by with a small gift that taught me a huge lesson. I’m sure my friend had no idea how much her gift meant to me or the dramatic effect that it had on my day, but her thoughtfulness will not soon be forgotten.

Her small but powerful gift to me was a tiny ceramic sparrow. Accompanying the sparrow was a small slip of paper. It referenced Christ’s teaching from the New Testament that even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground unnoticed by our Heavenly Father. The Savior taught that in the sight of God we have more value than many sparrows and that even the hairs of our head are numbered by Him.

As I thought about the kindness of my friend and the message of her gift, the stresses of my morning instantly melted away. All of the things that had been causing me so much stress and worry suddenly seemed unimportant.

I sat this precious little sparrow on my desk and I look at it often. Each time that I do I am reminded that my Heavenly Father is in control. I am reminded that I am very important to Him and that He is watching over me.

I remember these things and I am filled with peace….