“His eye is on the sparrow” - A message from Sister M. Mikela Meidl
It is hard for me to believe that I have now been at OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center for a couple of months. Time is going fast! There is so much going on, and I am enjoying every chance to support what I love so much, which is our Mission Partners and the local Community. I also knew that coming back into the details of operations, I would have some catchup to do. Things had evolved while I was gone. I had to be ready to listen well, take notes, ask questions and be confident in moving necessary work forward.
I knew that I needed more than my limited expertise and intelligence. I wanted to talk things over with my Husband, the One I have given over and shared my life, my God. As a Sister, I am blessed that I am given hours during the day to pray and worship with my Sisters.
For this new assignment, I also needed some alone time with God to lay this all before Him. What I was excited about, what I was worried about, what my concerns and desires were, all were brought before Him. How blessed I feel to have such a wonderful and merciful God who never invites me to do something without offering His grace to do it.
The first thing He did was remind me of what I already knew: that we had an excellent leadership team in Alton and unbelievable Mission Partners, including physicians. Now being here, I can express how true and rewarding it has been to have this validated in many ways. We are in good hands in Alton.
The second thing He reminded me of was His love. And to express His love, He gave me a line from a song that has become my theme, “His eye is on the sparrow.” We know the Scripture (Mathew 6:26), where Jesus explains, encourages and reveals to us how we are worth more than the birds whose life He blesses without worry. In the warmth of this Scripture passage, I found myself resting as the sparrow in the Father’s care and love. As weak and simple as the sparrow is, so was I in following His will for me by coming back to Alton.
So important was this little message that I printed out a picture of a small bird in a birch tree and put it on the wall with the words “His eye is on the Sparrow” printed on it. I see it now as I type this, and it fills me with knowledge of and gratitude for His tender care.
Ultimately, my work is not about me and what I can or cannot do. It is about God’s mercy and His desire to use me as His witness and disciple to make His healing ministry come alive at OSF Saint Anthony’s.
How blessed I am.
How joy-filled I am to be embraced by such a God and to serve along with our Mission Partners in Alton!
- Sister M. Mikela Meidl