Peace At The Watercooler

This afternoon, I was feeding my guinea pigs, and I witnessed some wonderful behaviour. Now, just to fill you non-guinea pig owners in, guinea pigs are large rodents that tend thrive better if they live in groups. They always establish a social order for their herd and they always establish a leader. I have 2 males Ashton and Gobi, and 3 females, Bungee, Aggie, and Sahara. The males live in a large 6 foot by 2 foot pen, and the females live in their own pen, of the same size.

I just stood and watched, as they took turns at the water bottle. Ash is the dominant one in the male pen. Ash was getting a drink at the water bottle, when Gobi cut in to get a looooong drink. But Ash just watched and waited patiently. He could have used his authority to shoo him away, but he just waited instead. When Gobi was done, Ash calmly went up to finish his own drink of water.

I then looked to the female pen, in the same room, and saw the exact same thing happening there. Bungee is the leader there and she was getting a drink. I have 3 girls, so I use two water bottles in their cage. But Aggie wanted to use the one Bungee was at (for some funny reason... guinea pigs can be like that). So Bungee let Aggie in, and watched over her as she got her drink. Then, when Aggie was finished, Bungee finished her own drink. It was deja-vu. I think when something like this happens twice in a row, the Lord wants me to take note.

I find it remarkable how civilized these little guinea pigs are, and that the same example would happen twice in a single moment, first with the males and then with the females! If they don't fight at the "water cooler", why can't we honour each other as well at home, work and church?

I asked myself, why can't we be like these little creatures? There is a little passage in the Bible that says:

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;"
Romans 12:10-11 King James Version

In verse 13 it says we should be "given to hospitality". I feel that respect for each other is important and that we should honour others by preferring them. This does not mean favourtism, but it means letting people in at the traffic light, sharing your snack in the lunch room, or holding a door for a stranger. That word "prefer", in the original ancient Greek, means "to lead the way for others, show deference."
Well, that means that if we are in charge of something or if we lead someone, we lead by example. I saw that Ash and Bungee, as simple as it was, were leading by showing deference. Not bad for a 2 pound rodent.

How do I get this from guinea pigs you ask? Well, by living with them , watching them, and letting the Lord speak to me when He wants to say something. Most people who do not own guinea pigs may not fully understand what I am sharing here, but it is a simple example that we should learn from. Share and be patient with each other.

Let's stop all the fuss around the watercooler at work and live at peace, with Jesus in our hearts!