Our friend, Bonnie, was asked to be a guest speaker at Sweet Monday, a creative women’s ministry that brings women together on the first Monday of each month.  Grab a friend and a yummy dessert and get ready to laugh with Bonnie as she shares about contentment.

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life (like guinea pigs!) that God uses to teach a much-needed lesson…

Meet Peggy and Skittles

It all began with a tale of two guinea pigs, Skittles and Peggy, who became our long-awaited pets. Skittles was a very fat and happy-go-lucky guinea pig. She had a great temperament, but, to put it kindly, Skittles wasn’t the brightest bulb around. Peggy, on the other hand, was one smart cookie.

We realized just how smart Peggy was when it came time to bed down the guinea pigs at night. We’d put a nice wooden house with plenty of room for two guinea pigs into the cage every night. However, it seems that sharing isn’t high on guinea pig social graces. Every night there would be a rush for the house, with Skittles winning, due to her sheer bulk. Skittles would comfortably settle in, while positively glowing that the house was all hers once again. Then the real fun would begin!

Peggy would casually saunter over to the food bowl and, with her back to Skittles, would begin to pretend to eat! Skittles would glance over and freeze when she saw Peggy eating at a bowl that Skittles would have sworn was empty just before. Peggy continued to dip her head to gather more imaginary food as Skittles anxiously watched from the house. Skittles’ nose nervously twitched and her eyes darted frantically to and fro. You could almost read her itty-bitty mind… “Uhh, there wasn’t any food in that bowl when I last looked … but Peggy is eating! Well, at least I have the house… the house is mine, mine, mine!”

At this point Peggy would look back at Skittles with a mouth that continued to munch air. Eventually, Skittles was unable to stand it any longer and she would burst out of the house, frantically running to the food dish. At this point, Peggy would zoom past Skittles and run into the warm and cozy house. Poor Skittles would be left, staring dejectedly at an empty food bowl, while Peggy contentedly snuggled in for a good night’s rest in the much-coveted house!

Just Like Skittles or… Contentment

I would watch this scenario night after night and couldn’t help but laugh at poor, gullible Skittles. I would think, “Skittles, you may be cute but you are dumber than a box of rocks!” Until one day, I felt the Lord saying, “Bonnie, don’t you realize that you are just like Skittles?”

Me? Just like Skittles? As I pondered this less-than-flattering comparison, the Lord made Himself clear to me. I felt He was saying, “Bonnie, I have made you with certain gifts, attributes, and abilities. Instead of being content with the way I’ve made you, you look at other women and think … ‘Gosh, if only I were classy and dignified like her, then I could really do things with my life!’ or ‘Boy, if I were sweet like her, I’m sure that I could be way more effective in ministry.’” Rather than dwelling contently in how God had made me, I kept chasing shadows of another self… a self that God never meant for me to be. While doing so, I was indeed behaving just like Skittles. My yearning for “something else” continually left me stuck outside of the “shelter” of God’s wonderful plan for me.

Likewise, I believe that God has made you with unique gifts and talents. In the Bible it says that you have been “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Notice that this statement isn’t followed by an “except for this part of you or that quality of yours”! Isn’t it time that we put away our longing for what we don’t have, and instead seek to make the most of what God has given us? I’ve found that the more genuine I am, the more peaceful I become. Perhaps it’s only when we become more accepting of how God has made us, that we can finally do the very things that He’s uniquely designed us to do.

This guest post is by our good friend, and fellow Cru staff member, Bonnie Davis. Mark and Bonnie share their prayer letters here.

Related post: Want another great story of what a friend learned from her guinea pig? Visit What the Piggy Taught Us by His Life – Gratitude.