The Odd Aardvark

Bible Reading: Romans 12:4–8

“Hey, Mom! Look at this weird-looking animal!” exclaimed Manuel as he peered over the fence of the city zoo. He and his mom were enjoying walking through the different zoo exhibits and learning neat facts about animals Manuel had never seen before.

“That’s an aardvark,” said Mom.

“An aardvark! I think it should be named a nosevark!” Manuel said with a laugh. “Look at the size of its nose! And it has short legs and big ears. I wonder why God made it look like that?”

“Well, let’s read about it.” Mom stepped up to a big sign explaining all about the aardvark. “This says aardvarks live in the African grasslands. They are nocturnal, so they sleep in an underground burrow during the day and hunt their favorite food at night—ants! They use their long noses to sniff out anthills and their long sticky tongues to search for the ants. It says here that their short legs keep their bodies low to the ground so they can easily find any signs of anthills, and they have big ears so they can listen for danger.” Mom chuckled. “I’d say God gave the aardvark everything it needs to be a great ant hunter, even if it does look a little odd. People are like that too.”

“You mean some people have long noses like aardvarks?” asked Manuel.

“No, silly. I mean that God has given each person special gifts and abilities so they can glorify Him and show His love to others in their own unique way,” explained Mom. “When I was a girl, my classmates made fun of me for being so quiet. But now as a nurse, my patients say that my quiet, caring personality makes them feel calm and comfortable.”

Manuel thought for a minute. “There’s this kid in my class, Ben, who is really smart in math and is always reading big books about science stuff. Kids make fun of him for being different. He kind of makes me think of the aardvark—a little odd, but I guess God made him that way for a reason.”

Mom smiled. “Jesus wants us to appreciate the gifts and talents of others and to love them the way He does. Maybe you could help Ben feel special instead of odd.” •Kendra Angle

How About You?

Did you know God gives each of us special gifts and abilities? Some of us can sing and dance or play baseball really well. Others are good at math or making people feel welcome. Rather than making fun of people for being different from you, Jesus wants you to appreciate the skills and talents He’s given others and use the abilities He’s given you to show them His love.

Today’s Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Everyone has God-given abilities