Our son, Antonio, has been absolutely begging for a pet of his own for months. He doesn’t care that we already have two dogs and a cat, because in his mind they are family pets and not his exclusively. In the months that he’s been asking for a pet, we’ve gone round and round with conversations about responsibility and making lists of pros and cons. Recently, we were suddenly presented with an opportunity to get 2 guinea pigs, complete with supplies and food, for no cost. We decided to take advantage of the opportunity, and Antonio is happy as can be to have Mario and Luigi the guinea pigs living in his room.

When we’re asking God for an answer to prayer, the waiting can be hard. The longer Antonio waited for his own pet, the more desperate his requests became. It started to get to the point where he would make comments like “I’m NEVER going to get what I want!” Am I the only one who’s come to God with similar comments? We’re all waiting for something: financial breakthrough, healing, restored relationships, even for pet guinea pigs apparently. Whatever your situation is, that waiting can feel really discouraging. We don’t like to be kept waiting. We live in such a time of instant gratification, and it is hard to take a step back and remember that His time is not our own. He can handle our pouting, He just wants us to continue to talk to Him and seek Him.

“God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.” – Lamentations 3:25 (MSG)

Even when we finally get what we’ve been asking for, the process isn’t over. We still have to learn and grow into whatever the experience is. As much as we tried to prepare Antonio for the responsibility he desired, he had no idea what he was really in for. He has had to learn about proper nutrition for guinea pigs, cleaning schedules, nurturing, etc. He didn’t realize how much he would have to learn and adapt, he just thought he would get some cute critters and they would all live happily ever after. Isn’t that our mindset with God sometimes? We have a clear vision of what we want, but we can get so focused on the end goal, we don’t see all the work that has to go into it. God is so gracious and so giving, but He also wants us to have some investment in our lives. I think one of the coolest things about pursuing life with Christ is that you’re forever gaining knowledge and wisdom; you’ll never get to the point where you know everything.

In this whole process of helping Antonio live out his guinea pig dreams, I have had to learn even more than he has to be able to help support him and help him grow. So often the things we ask God for also require the involvement of someone around us. An encouraging parent. An understanding spouse. A friend who can listen and hold space for us when we need it. Maybe even a stranger placed in our life at just the right moment. There are endless possibilities. We were made for community. We were made for God’s love to flow through us and onto others. It is a beautiful thing to come alongside someone and help them in whatever way you can. When we are loving well and serving well, we are helping others learn and grow and seek His presence more closely than before.

“Love empowers us to fulfill the law of the Anointed One as we carry each other’s troubles.” – Galatians 6:2 (TPT)

Who knew guinea pigs could teach so much about the heart of the Father? Writing a blog monthly has been so fun for me, because God always seems to put something I think is really random on my heart, and the more I meditate on it, the more it grows into something I need to hear. It’s also fun to see the look on my husband’s face when I tell him I’m writing about guinea pigs for the church blog. God cares about the littlest details of your life, the things that you don’t think He would even notice. He loves you and He cares for you.