Hope for Those Who Have Lost Pets

In the third grade, my teacher, Mr. Young, read a couple of chapters from a book every school day after lunch. He must have loved animals because all of the books I remember him reading were epic stories about dogs or horses. But the day he chose Wilson Rawls's classic Where the Red Fern Grows, changed my life. It was probably the first time I cried listening to a story, and rightfully so; it touched something deep in my heart that loves animals so much. When (spoiler alert) Little Ann died on Old Dan's grave, if you didn't cry, there was something seriously wrong with you. I think I asked my husband if he cried when they died as part of some weird litmus test before I would marry him. If he had said no, well, no telling if there would have been a wedding.

Honestly, I think the root of this deep-felt emotional connection with animals comes from the Garden of Eden. Or further back than that. The root is really in the heart of God. Before He created man, He created animals. All kinds of animals, and He saw that they were good. Then He created man and gave the animals to man as companions. God had Noah construct a boat to save only eight people. But it rescued countless animals from the flood. In Numbers 22, a donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and tried to protect her master, who, in his ignorance, did not see the Angel in the path. Ultimately, her bravery saved her master and demonstrated the respect God has for animals. In the book of Revelation, of all the amazing technological craft that the Lord Jesus could use to return in His epic glory, He chooses to return on a horse. Says a lot for what God thinks of the animals He created. He cares deeply for even the little sparrows that die. Imagine the God of the universe cares for a little, nameless, seemingly unimportant bird. No animal is insignificant to the Lord, especially those that are loved by humans.

One Sunday a few years ago, a friend of ours called and asked if we would come over and pray for her husband. That night, he let their dear dog out, and she ran off to the river. She fell in, and the water was too fast and cold, and the bank too steep for our friend to get her out in time. He was devastated. Anyone who believes in heaven and has experienced the traumatic loss of a pet no doubt has cried out to the Lord in hope that they will see this pet again. Some of us have even been given special glimpses in our mind's eye or had dreams of them waiting for us in fields of glory. The horse that had a chronic limp is now running as fast as Secretariat, with your old dog who used to have three legs keeping up without a problem. We somehow believe even without the proper theological training, that God has our pets in heaven waiting for us who love Him.

Why do I believe this? The Word and character of God. God is loving, merciful, and kind. He knows that when they die, if they were special pets to us, we grieve. In fact, we hurt a lot. And when we hurt, He also hurts with us. I have experienced this intense grief when my dog was hit by a car, lost in the woods, or died unexpectedly. But the Bible says that one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to be our comforter. In 2 Corinthians 1:4, it is written that the Lord comforts us so we can comfort others. He is our Nacham (in Hebrew), the God of All Comfort. Part of this grieving may be because we have always been taught that when our pets die, they go back to the earth, and that's the end. But look at this verse;

"For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust."

Ecclesiastes 3:19-20

As believers in Jesus and children of God, we are assured that we will rise from the dead because Jesus rose. And if He takes the infinitesimal DNA of someone who died thousands of years ago and recreates their glorified body and reunites it with their spirit in heaven, then it isn't far-fetched to think he can take a dog, cat, parakeet, horse, or raccoon and do the same. Technology has produced animal clones that are exact replicas of the cloned animal. If humans can do this, then surely God, the Master Creator, can do this and do it much better.

Ultimately, we can trust the nature and character of God. He cares for us and gave us our pets. When we cry, He cries. We know for a fact, according to the Bible, that there are living creatures around God's throne and that horses are definitely in heaven. Empirical evidence from near-death experiences also verifies that the pets of believers are in heaven. Countless people have seen their beloved pets during their trip to heaven and report being able to communicate with them in their minds. Some things are hard to understand, but will be wonderful surprises when we get there. Let's plant our hope firmly on who our Father is and His word:

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9