CHINCHILLA BABIES
Our Pastor and his family recently took a much needed
vacation to Florida. In his absence he asked me if I would cover some of the
services he would be missing. I was happy to oblige.
When the Wednesday evening prayer meeting approached
everything was looking very ‘Baptist’ in nature. If you are unfamiliar with a
Baptist Wednesday prayer meeting it is generally rather routine. We have a few
songs, an offering is taken, people make the usual prayer requests, we pray, we
have a sermon, and we go home.
However, on this particular Wednesday there was a slight
break with the norm. As the prayer requests were being taken we had the usual
(though also very important) requests such as healings, family issues,
salvation and financial needs. Then one of our dear younger folks asked if she
could give a praise. Of course, I immediately said yes. Have you ever had one
of those moments in life when everything seems to stop and then slip into slow
motion? Well, it was like that for me. The praise sort of took me by surprise. I
was caught off guard because I suddenly realized that I was not sure how to
pray for her request. She simply said she wanted to praise God for the safe
delivery (birthing) of her two new baby chinchillas. At first glance that might
not seem too troubling to you. But remember, I have to offer prayer for the two
baby chinchillas. I have prayed for the sick. I have prayed for the lame, for
the homeless and for the broken home. But I have never prayed for a chinchilla.
She was serious. A bright smile covered her face and her eyes had that glint of
joy. She was truly thankful for two baby chinchillas and she was asking us to
join her in prayer for them. But my mind kept asking, “How?”
Why didn’t I immediately see the joy she saw? I think this
is one of the reasons Jesus so enjoyed the youth of his day. They see. We
become wrapped in daily needs and concerns. We pass through this life busy with
the cares and concerns of the day. The youth don’t. They stop and look around
them. Pay attention to a child outside at play. Watch him gasp and thrill to
the flight of a butterfly. Or, notice a little girl as she runs through a rain
shower, her face tilted slightly to catch the drops on her cheeks. Endless examples
could be given but the truth is obvious, children love to experience God’s
creation. This young lady saw in two little 2 ounce balls of fur the miracle of
her heavenly Father. She knew God truly cared for those two chinchillas, Matthew
10:29 says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall
not fall on the ground without your Father.” God has never created a life he
did not love, or a creature he did not truly care for. He did not populate this
world with so much wonder without truly loving each and every one of the many
different life forms. Each is an expression of His greatness. If God cares
whether the sparrow falls to the ground does he not care which home these two
chinchillas were born into. Was he not also aware of the joy they would bring
into the life of this dear young lady? You see, we become so engrossed in daily
living we miss the myriad blessings that literally surround us everywhere we
go. As she held these little baby chinchillas she felt deeply the blessing of
God. And all she did Wednesday night was to ask us to join her in thanking God
for caring so much about her that he was concerned for every detail of her
life. Isn’t is just possible that God gave them life, and had them born into
this home, for the purpose of blessing this child of His?
The sad part of this little story is that it took me so long
to see what Vicky saw the moment those two baby chinchillas were born.
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