Have you seen the degus at Wellington Country Park? My husband and I have got six of them: Diego, Luna, Alfie, Auri, Mozart and Sia. 3 boys and 3 girls, each with their own personality.
Degus are considered ‘exotic’ pets, although they are becoming increasingly popular in the UK, and they live between 6-9 years. They’re active in the day (diurnal), and they often do very silly and cute things which makes for entertaining viewing.
If you have a pet, you know how special they can be. We like taking photos of them and we even have some hanging ornaments of their names for the Christmas tree!
The sad thing about owning degus is that they don’t like to be handled due to being prey animals. Auri in particular lives up to her namesake as she’s always hiding in a tunnel! They’ll only come to us if we have food, even though we’ve been interactive and gentle with them for years.
We would love to be able to communicate with them and say, “Don’t be afraid! We love you and we will keep you safe.”
Short of becoming one of them and cuddling up in their ‘degu pile’ (and squeaking protectively at their perceived threats) we won’t be able to convince them that we are 100% safe. After all, we are much bigger and stronger than them – it makes sense for them to be afraid of us!
Sometimes God seems scary and distant to us – because he is much bigger and stronger than we are – and we often hide from him. But he loves us, and he is gentle and protective. That’s hard for us to understand, so he became one of us to prove it!
That’s what is so wonderful about Christmas! Jesus (who is God) was born as a baby on that very first Christmas, and lived with his friends on earth. He got right into the ‘degu pile’ of people’s lives: caring for them, laughing and eating with them, listening to them… and ultimately protecting them against their biggest threat: death.
He has proven that he is 100% trustworthy, and it’s only by knowing him personally that we can know we are protected from our biggest enemy, and safe being held in his gentle hands.
Sarah, Calcot
Questions
- Where can you see degus near Reading?
- When are degus active?
- What would you name a degu if you had one?
- Why are degus sometimes scared of people?
- Do you sometimes feel scared of God?
- What did God do to prove we can be safe with him?
