16 October 2009 Devotion for Today "Be Kind to Animals" Proverbs 12:10-16

16 October 2009 Devotion for Today "Be Kind to Animals" Proverbs 12:10-16

Friday, October 16, 2009

11:55 AM

^{10 A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal,}

       but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

 11 He who works his land will have abundant food,

       but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment.

 12 The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,

       but the root of the righteous flourishes.

 13 An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk,

       but a righteous man escapes trouble.

 14 From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things

       as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.

 15 The way of a fool seems right to him,

       but a wise man listens to advice.

 16 A fool shows his annoyance at once,

       but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

(Proverbs 12:10-16)

 
 

About three and a half years ago my wife prevailed upon me to buy one of our children a puppy. This was not just to be any puppy, but a Labrador puppy. A teacher colleague of hers announced to the faculty that his dog had recently given birth to a large litter of chocolate-brown Lab pups. My first retort was no! First of all, we already owned a dog- a small Cavalier named Mandy who would feel heartbroken and supplanted by another animal intruder. This certainly turned out to be true. Secondly, I knew that I would likely have to care for the dog most of the time. This turned out to be true as well. Thirdly, Lab puppies will not be puppies for very long. Soon they would grow and eat a lot. The initial purchase would a relatively minor cost in comparison to the food and vet bills. This certainly turned out to be true. But I could not resist the joy on my son's face when we brought him home to live with us and all three of my prophesies turned out to be true.

 
 

At first I was resentful that the prevailing opinion of whether we should own another dog or not turned against me. I really did not want the time and the expense of having another animal around; especially one like Buddy, the dog we purchased. But it did not take long for Buddy to endear himself to me. The love he has given me far surpassed the huge expense in terms of food and vet bills. He was struck by a car and nearly killed last spring. Plunking down nearly two-thousand dollars I reckoned that Buddy was worth it as we carried him home from the animal hospital. When Jared went away to basic training and then into the Coast Guard, Buddy has been a constant companion to me, assuaging the pain of separation since my two oldest children left our home. Buddy also helps me keep in shape. Actually I have helped him out as well since he was hurt it damaged his lung capacity. But since Buddy has become my running companion not only has he helped me lose almost twenty pounds by this writing, but his lung capacity has doubled and now both of us have more endurance.

 
 

You may be curious about the title of this day's devotional: "Be Kind to Animals." What does animals have to do with anything I am facing today? Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those folks who put the needs of animals, particularly their pets, above those of people. The extent to which some people go to exalt pets above people can be ridiculous at times- like the woman I read about this morning who left her entire estate to her cat. On the other hand, a news story this morning was equally disturbing; how a woman in Virginia Beach was arrested for neglecting 100 dogs and cats in her small home. Several died and fossilized over time. The home was filled by unbelievable filth and decay. The stench was horrific. She allowed this to happen because her desire to get strays off the street overwhelmed her to the point she could not afford to care for them properly. This may be an extreme case, but no less horrifying is the way some people will be cruel to animals. I've known people to abuse their pets physically when their owners are in an ill tempered mood, or beat their pets for no reason.

 
 

Solomon basically tells us that that one can tell much about a person in the way that he treats pets and other animals. If he is loving and kind to them, they will certainly love him. If an animal responds easily to someone its because they like and trust them. If you cannot get an animal to trust you, it is also likely that people may not trust you, either. I have heard it said that animals, like children, are windows into our souls.

 
 

One word of warning however. This does not mean that all animals are equally responsive. Some pets, for example, take longer to warm up to us. They may have been abused in the past by previous owners and bring the horrible memory of their trauma into new relationships. This is where our kindness will pay off. Just because God has given people the privilege of having dominion over the animal kingdom gives us no license for cruelty. Others will judge us by the way we care for animals, and note that they may treat people the same way they treat their pets. They have many lessons to teach us about loyalty, forgiveness, sacrifice, and most of all, unconditional love. I realize that at the end of the day, our pets are just animals. But God has given them to us to love and comfort us, and to teach us also to realize that as they depend upon us and trust us for caring for them, we must trust our Heavenly Master to care for us.

 
 

Remember that God will never treat us the way some humans treat their animals. We are never more like God when we treat our pets with the love and grace that He showers upon us every day.

 
 

Have a blessed day.