I had a special opportunity this week to visit the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington. A friend of my daughter Rosanna is a member and invited her to join them–since I was at their home in celebration of my granddaughter Harmony’s tenth birthday I got to join in the fun. I have determined (especially after last week’s post about bucket lists) to say yes to more opportunities.
I really did not know what to expect. I had never been to this zoo before. The weather was perfect and I set myself to simply enjoy the experience and my family. Our first blessing was to see a male peacock displaying his feathers and doing a little mating dance! Harmony’s new favorite animal are peacocks! It really set the tone for all of us.
We ate our lunch during an animal presentation–complete with scripted dialog encouraging us to recycle and protect the environment. Different animals were showcased–anteaters, a bald eagle, lynx etc-fairly typical for most zoos. The most surprising for me was an aardvark. Have you ever seen an Aardvark up close? This was my first time. Aardvarks to me, until this day, were simply pictures in children’s alphabet books! Out comes this baby pink larger than expected creature! It was so unexpected that all I could do was stare. No pictures or anything–I just looked at this wacky animal that God created.
They have funny ears and an interesting snout. They are the only living species of Tubulidentata, in other words, unique. They have ears like a rabbit, a tail similar to a kangaroo and their name is derived from an African word “earth pig”. But they are none of these things. Unusual things stand out. God’s handiwork in your life creates in us our own special uniqueness of qualities that can bring glory to His name. Why do we need aardvarks? I don’t know. They live in Africa and feed on termites–which is a good thing. Seeing new things, learning new things and experiencing new things make our lives richer and fuller. The Bible tells us that all things (including Aardvarks) were created for His glory. I am constantly amazed by His creation. I currently teach three of my grandchildren botany. Every week we discover God’s fingerprint on His creation and it always enhances my amazement for how He put all of this together.
Even though God made mankind in His likeness and image, He also made us unique–with a combination of our DNA, personality and giftings. If you are a person (who like me for years) just wanted to blend in, I urge you to rethink your position. If you like to flaunt your uniqueness, remember that God made you from the same dust as the rest of us! For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10.
Faith Encounters 