Butterscotch and Vanilla. No, they’re not flavors, they are the names of my two guinea pigs. Vanilla, the white one, is very vocal. He squeals whenever the refrigerator opens because he thinks I am going to get him carrots. He also loves to be petted and purrs loudly whenever I do so.

Butterscotch, on the other hand, is a very quiet pig. He looks around with inquisitive pink eyes and never lets his guard down. I can count on one hand how many times he has purred for me (and they were very quiet purrs).

As I petted them one day, I realized something: how such two small creatures had such different personalities. And it made me think of God. God could have made the whole world with only a few varieties of animals and we would have never known. But no, He created a vast amount of life, each unique.

Then I thought about how God could have given each animal a bland personality. You know, all dogs the same, all horses the same, all mice the same. But instead, He infused each animal with his or her own personality and quirks. He placed his fingertip on each animal and left it unique and special, all for His glory.

I stopped petting Butterscotch and Vanilla. Butterscotch looked at me while Vanilla tried to position his body under my hand again.  I looked at them and felt such awe at a God who is so connected with His creation. Even the smallest detail never escapes His eye.

Amazing how God uses two little guinea pigs to reveal Himself to me .

*Originally posted July 2, 2010