Encouragement

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Straight From The Cavy's Mouth

Perfect Pastures


Hay. It isn’t just for horses, you know.

My guinea pigs love hay. From what I’ve read, all guinea pigs do. They love to eat it, sleep in it, hide in it and play Catch the Cavy in it (that’s the guinea pig version of ‘Tag’.) Most hays are just grass. In my area of Northeast Ohio, high quality Timothy is pretty hard to find and costs a bit more than other hay. Naturally, that’s the hay my pigs love the most. But it’s just as well, because it’s actually the best hay for them. Guinea pigs seem to have a natural inclination to prefer what’s best.

One day I was observing Punkin. She slept, nestled in a patch of Timothy hay. Occasionally she’d awaken, do a little nibbling of the hay, stretch and yawn, and go back to sleep. She modeled contentment. No worries. No problems. What else could a cavy possibly want? As I watched her, I thought of the 23rd Psalm. The new living translation words the first verse this way: ‘The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need.’ According to the psalm, I’m a sheep.

You’ve heard the expression, ‘The grass is always greener on the other side.’? We know it’s not. It’s just a ruse, a deceiving distortion. Grass just looks greener over there. It has its own insects, grubs and antagonists to deal with. No matter where you are in life, there are problems, restrictions and obstacles. No station in life is without its losses and limitations.

But irregardless of that, the truth is, if the Lord really is my shepherd, the grass in my pasture really is the most tender and satisfying grass available. The greenest grass is mine—mine for all time and eternity. Why would I want to graze elsewhere? The sad things is that, unlike my cavy friends, I’m not naturally inclined to choose what’s best—I can be deceived if I’m not careful. And the world makes a good play at trying to trick me. I need to make sure I stay in the pasture. Sure, shepherds rescue lost sheep but what smart sheep would actually put itself in jeopardy? But then again, although sheep are good natured, we all know they aren’t exactly the smartest animals. At least this sheep isn’t.

Israel’s national history shows I’m not the only sheep to be duped a time or two. Throughout the OT prophets, God continually asked His chosen people why they insisted on drawing water using leaky buckets with holes in them and eating bread that does not satisfy, when they could have the best that life had to offer, both physically and spiritually, if they would just choose Him. Wasn’t He their creator? Didn’t He lead them out of slavery? Didn’t He provide manna, quail and water in the wilderness? He ousted the pagan nations of Canaan and gave them the inheritance promised to Abraham. Israel grew to be a world power under the reigns of David and Solomon and all other nations of the earth knew that the true and living God was the God of Israel. They were safe and sound—physically, financially, politically and spiritually. Life under God’s direction and provision was good--the best. What more could a nation want? Yet Israel repeatedly chose to follow pagan gods and disregard God’s laws, raining disease and disaster upon themselves. Why did they insist on settling for an inferior life? From time to time, I ask myself the same question.

I’ve definitely longed for greener pastures when it comes to my relationships with others. My love wasn’t returned—or at least not in the way I needed. Or someone didn’t want to build a friendship as badly as I did. He or she turned out to be someone completely different than I had anticipated. The relationship or friendship fizzled in spite of my whole-hearted efforts. How much time and energy am I willing to pour into one of these relationships? Sometimes it feels like way too much.

Probably one of the biggest challenges in life is determining which relationships are really just buckets with holes and which ones are buckets that just take longer to fill to the point where you can finally enjoy a drink. It’s difficult to tell the difference. At times I wear myself out emotionally in pursuit of a relationship and all I am really doing is just wasting my time. Would I eat moldy or stale bread? Or would I choose to stay hungry when a loaf of freshly baked bread was presented to me? Then why do I pursue relationships that are going nowhere when I could find other relationships that would be so much more satisfying? Sometimes I have to just be willing to put a relationship in perspective and say, ‘He (or she) is just a bucket with holes,’ and stop pouring myself into it. I guess in some areas of life, the grass is greener. And many times I’ve prayed for the shepherd’s staff to lead me to better pastures.

I love watching my pigs play in fresh Timothy hay. They love it—it’s the best. And now each time I pull a green, crisp handful out of the barrel and catch a hint of it’s sweet aroma, I remember that although I may not always find myself in the best pasture when I’m dealing with people, God’s pasture is always the greenest and the sweetest--it’s the best. And as long as I’m in the Good Shepherd’s pasture, I know I shall not want.

Hay. It’s not just for horses, you know. Pigs (and sheep) love it too.

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