Of Animals and Heaven

Yesterday I had to have my 15½YO cat put to sleep. His health was failing rapidly, and there wasn't anything I could do for him except stop his suffering... I received an enormous amount of support from my family and friends, more than I'd have ever expected, and that really helped me get through the day. Life without Bruce will be difficult until the grieving is replace by happy memories. My last words to him were, "See you on the other side, buddy..."

But will I really?

A lot of people find comfort in the story of the Rainbow Bridge. I don't believe in a physical, actual bridge where our pets all wait for us, but a lot of people do and I won't say they're wrong. And there are those that argue we will - or will not - see our animals in heaven. Those who are certain that we will also get great comfort from that. The Bible does mention animals (ie, the lion will lay down with the lamb), but is silent on whether we will be rejoined with our pets or not. So, so am I. I believe we'll know when we get there.

But in seeking comfort yesterday, it had little to do with whether Bruce and I would ever be reunited. My vision of heaven has never been about reuniting with my past pets. In fact, it doesn't even include them. If they are there, I'd certainly be happy about it, but it isn't a reason for me to want to get there.

Animals in general are a wonderful blessing that God has given to us, and they serve us on so many levels: companions, coworkers, inspiration, food, clothing, protection...but there are some things that He puts into our lives for our time on earth. Marriage is one such example. In heaven we will be the bride of Christ. While on earth, we have husbands and wives to work together to do God's work. Our lives center around our spouses, here. They make us complete, here. They support us, here.

In heaven, we will be complete. We will be made whole. We will be changed, made new. Our lives will center around Christ. We, as his Church, will be His bride.

So will there be a need for our pets? In spending eternity in praise and worship of Christ, will I want a cat on my lap or a parrot on my shoulder? Or would they be a distraction from the One Whom I will be worshipping for all eternity?

I don't know.

What I DO know is this: while I have been given both the blessing and the responsibility for my dear wonderful pets, I will honor God by caring for them to the best of my ability as I strive to serve Christ in all that I do. My heart is homesick for a place I've never been, and when I get there if my past pets run and fly to greet me I will rejoice in that. But my goal in getting to heaven isn't to see my dead pets; it is to praise and worship the One that I love and serve now, during my short time here on earth. For all eternity.