Animals

I love animals, both wild and domestic.

There is something amazing about watching wild animals in their natural surroundings. Most people cannot afford to go on a safari. So, we have zoos and wild animal parks across the world we can visit to see wild animals.

I find horses, once mostly wild, quite fascinating. As an adult, I took riding lessons. I learned quickly that you cannot treat a horse like a dog. Horses demand a rider in control, confident and in charge.

And then there are the animals we bring into our homes that become family members. A lot of people who have not ever done this see them as “pets”. Some people without pets have trouble understanding how a dog or cat (or even a bird) can be family.

When our furry family dies, the loss we “pet” owners feel equates to when we lose someone dear to us. We are happy they are no longer suffering but sad we no longer have their love and companionship. We are hopeful that we will see them again in eternity.

On this gray, rainy Portland day, my heart hurts by the passing of a friend’s furry daughter. When I visited, she greeted me with a bark. When it was time for me to leave, she would bark because she did not want me to go. Given the opportunity, she would walk me home. 

Her passing reminds me of my Skruffy’s passing as well as friends, family and other furry friends that have died. It reminds me that death and grief are a continual part of life. Life on earth is temporary. But along with death, there is hope. Hope of eternal life with God and our human and furry loved ones.

Prayer

(from 50 Days of Heaven by Randy Alcorn)

“Lord, the extent of Your redemptive plan boggles our minds. Preserve us from our narrow thinking, which is so quick to limit and restrict the scope of Your redemption. You repeatedly emphasized that Your covenant was not just with humans but with animals as well. Open our eyes to see the nature of Your creative work in animals and their essential connection to the earth and to us. Help us to anticipate living on the New Earth and beholding in Your creatures Your attributes and delights in greater ways than ever before.”