Not a Sparrow Falls

I was taught as a child that God sees all and knows each of us by name, and that “not a sparrow falls…” but what He knows about it. I felt the depth of that phrase worked well with this piece.

It is amazing to watch folks as they connect with it (however they choose). Some see the dregs of society. Some see themselves. Some see a friend or family member. Some are moved to question their giving. Some loathe it and are repulsed. Many judge quickly and turn away. Some are voyeurs and watch as though he were a train wreck. Some pretend it isn’t real. Many wonder, “Why would I sculpt such a thing?”

What most don’t realize is they are not seeing a drunk, but themselves (their past, the adopted judgments of their parents, friends and society). I sent an email, with an image of this piece, to a friend of mine, who wrote back: “I have a grateful awareness of the redemption that can plumb all depths. It may not be the ‘easy to see’ bottle that brings me down, and lays me low, but there are certainly areas in my life when I am as broken and lost as he is. We all are.”

This piece has sat in my studio (as a clay sculpture) for over ten years. I have enjoyed it personally and now share it with the world. For me, the greatest six words in the English language come from the parable of “The Prodigal Son”. They read, ”and when he came to himself”. Isn’t that what each of us is looking for - that spark of deity within (call it what you will), which is connected to the source of all life?