Friday, September 19, 2008

Empty Rooms ...


It’s quiet.  No sounds of the clinking of his chain collar, no crunch of dog food from the other room, just stillness.  It began only yesterday, the sudden decay of his entire body.  He went from a normal dog of upper years, to a complete inability to even stand up.  His panting was labored and intense as was his pain.  And so this morning a trip to the vet ends his suffering and his longevity and leaves my home with … empty rooms.

It is a growing phenomenon in the United States that people seem to care more and spend more on their pets than they do on other people; a perception that the ueber-rich pamper their pets with day spas, grooming, and special diets.  With affluence comes advantages, even for the dogs I guess.  But the question remains, why do people seem to get so attached emotionally to their pets, leading them sometimes to make superhuman efforts to tend to that special “member of the family”?  Obviously it can’t be about intelligence.

Some argue about whether cats or dogs are smarter.  No matter who wins they don’t talk to you, at least not in our language.  Pets seem to learn how to communicate basic needs – hunger, bathroom time, play time, want attention.  Dogs seem to reflect the nature of their owners over time, and look as though their faces carry quite a bit of expression.  They seem to know when they are “bad” and get very excited for “rewards”.  They reflect love as much as they know how to.  I wonder why that is?

After all, it is not a Universal characteristic of all canine or cat species to reflect love to humans.  Ask a pride of hungry lions, or a pack of hungry wolves, in the wild next time you encounter them for some affection time.  And they will affectionately prepare you as meal for their family.  But dogs and cats appear to have an entirely different view of humanity than their larger counterparts.  Maybe it is because we “adopt” them into our families while they are young and more dependent on us.  Maybe it is because we provide for their needs on a daily basis.  Maybe because when you think about it, we reach out to them in affection before they reach out to us, at least at the beginning.

Could the devotion of a pet simply be a matter of conditioning?  I doubt repetitive behavior would cause an animal to risk his personal safety to spare its owner.  That level of sacrifice is more a distinction of love, than a matter of practicality (I must save the hand that feeds me).  If they die in the attempt to save us, the food stops anyway.  But undeterred, a pet will often risk life and limb to save its owner from peril – even when the peril may not actually be life threatening to the owner.  Why do they love to the extent they are capable of knowing how?

Our Creator designed this world both for beauty and as a reflection of who He is.  The love that defines the nature of God Himself, was reflected both in us, and in the living creatures that surround us.  While dogs and cats may have no voice to speak in human languages, or brains large enough to form cognitive complex thoughts, they were endowed with an ability to show love.  This is to teach us that love does not depend on the depth of ones intellect.  It is designed to teach us that love responds to love.  It is to remind us of the importance of love in even the little things.  It inspires in us mercy, charity, affection, and even forgiveness.  We may become angry with our misbehaving pets, particularly when they are destroying some prized possession of ours.  But we quickly forgive them as we realize they did not really understand the impact of their actions, and even in their “defiance” they were merely looking for more of our time and attention.

Perhaps with His infinite abilities and perspective, God can pity us the same way we pity our pets.  While far more intelligent, we make stupid mistakes, act out, become defiant, noisy, and even dangerous sometimes.  But He tenderly calms us down, removes our thorns, and shows us affection we did not ever merit.  God reaches out to us first in love.  It is His extension of love to us, that draws us to want to know Him.

The opposite is also true.  An abused animal reacts much like an abused child but with even less ability to communicate.  Hate can destroy any creation.  But what damage hate or impatience, or selfishness can inflict, love is more powerful to repair.  There are stories of even the most abused animals who have lived years, perhaps even the majority of their lifespans in agony, can be redeemed through the power of love.  Consistent loving treatment is the best medicine on Planet Earth, both for pets, and for us.

People, like their pets, tend to live longer, and live better, when they know they are loved.  As air is the life current of the body, so love is the life current of our souls, our emotion, our characters.  When we are rich in love, our need of other things is diminished.  And when we are poor in love, nothing else can seem enough to compensate for it.  Love is what makes life worth the living.  To give it, and to receive it, to strengthen it, and make it deeper – this is the honorable pursuit of a lifetime for man or animal.

Being a believer, invariably comes the question – will I see him again?  Seems impractical for Heaven to be crowded up with every dog, cat, bird, turtle or other pet that has passed away over the years.  Pets are not supposed to have a soul, and are incapable of deciphering religion, let alone making a choice for good or for evil.  So how could they be “saved” from sin?  A skeptic would have us believe that an animal passes into death and will never again see the light of day.  When gone, they are gone for good.  But is that merely a skeptical view of our God?

Everything we know of God is taught to us in lesson after lesson about His love.  He created our pets in the first place.  He created their ability to show and respond to affection and love.  He knows the bonds we form with them.  He knows the love and sometimes sacrifice they have shown to us.  He knows the pain we feel when we lose them to age, disease, or random traffic accidents.  Death was not ever His intent.  God did not create with death in mind.  Rather, death is the natural result of the introduction of evil into our world.  And one day, evil, like death, will be terminated forever in the universe – no more to die, or sleep again.

So given everything we know of God, why would we choose to believe that He would deny us our pets in His recreated perfection.  It seems inconsistent with His character.  Forget practicality for a minute, and view the matter from a child’s eyes.  Would you deny your young child his wish to simply love another creature?  I do not think God would either.  Love is a constant for God.  And extending love in His next kingdom of perfection, does not seem impractical to me.  So while my dog may not have ever had a soul, I believe he can be saved from the effects of sin – it’s chief effect being death.  I believe I will see my raised and transformed dog again in the kingdom that is to come.  He may sleep in the earth today, but I look forward to petting and running with him again, in a land that never ends.  I hope to fill my mansion and suffer no more from … empty rooms.


No comments:

Post a Comment