Lavishing Love

One of our subscribers, Stacy, contacted me a couple of weeks ago.  Just that day she had to make the very difficult decision to put her beloved Remo to sleep.  A beautiful golden retriever, Remo was not only her best friend, but a special member of her family.  Because one of her daughters put up a Facebook post, I was able to see pictures of Remo.  He looked like an amazing dog.  His coat was a deep, rich, golden color that reminded me of a fine Italian cappuccino. And he had that way of smiling that only dogs have.  If you’ve ever had a dog, you know what I mean.  They sort of smile with their eyes and their whole body.  And, of course, a wagging tail.  He was obviously happy.

Remo joined Stacy’s family as a puppy but sadly, at only thirteen years old, he contracted cancer.  Though they tried to help him beat it, it became quite severe and they eventually had to make that difficult but right decision.

It reminded me of Sunny.  Sunny was the first dog that my wife and I had together.  We had no children at the time and Sunny was very dear to us.  She had a thick coat of blond hair and looked like an Ewok.  I remember how she would crawl up in the back window of our car when we traveled somewhere.  She seemed to enjoy the warmth there and could see everything that was passing by.

Sadly at only two years old she developed some type of health issue that we knew was serious.  Her color became yellowish and her demeanor suppressed.  She wouldn’t eat or drink.  We took her to the vet only to find out that she had severe kidney failure. There was nothing the vet could do, and he recommended that we put her to sleep immediately.  He told us that she would otherwise suffer an imminent and excruciating death.  So we said our lengthy goodbyes and, after many tears, left Sunny with the vet.  That’s when it got even harder.  As we left the room she was in and passed through the lobby to the exit, Sunny jumped down from the table where we left her and got away from the vet.  She came chasing after us, wanting to come along.  Can you imagine?  It broke our hearts.  We wanted to take her home, and even considered it for a moment.  But we knew we had to bring her back and say goodbye all over again. 

It seems like every dog is my favorite but the thought of Sunny chasing after us always breaks my heart.  So, I completely understood when Stacy reached out to me.  And her question was really quite relevant.  She wanted to know if she would see Remo again in heaven.  Apparently some of her friends told her that dogs don’t have a soul, so they won’t be in heaven.  She wanted to know if that was true.  It is a question that many people ask.  We all love our pets and they become like members of our family.  So the thought of never seeing them again is difficult to accept.

I took some time to read what several scholars had to say about seeing our pets in heaven.  Billy Graham, John Wesley, Randy Alcorn, C. S. Lewis, John Eldredge, and Joni Eareckson Tada are a few that I turned to. While it would be far too lengthy to cover all that they said, there were a few consistent themes:

• God created animals and they have a soul, though not a human soul.
  God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind.  And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:25)
  When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:30)

• God established a covenant with us and all living creatures.
  Then God said, I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and all living creatures, for all generations to come.  I have placed my rainbow in the clouds.  It is a sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.  (Genesis 9:12)

• All creation looks forward to eternity.
  For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are.  Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse.  But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.  (Romans 8:19-20)

• We know that animals are in heaven.
  In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.  The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and the little child will lead them all.  The cow will graze near the bear.  The cub and the calf will lie down together.  The lion will eat hay like a cow.  The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.  (Isaiah 11:6-8)

Since the wolf, lion, leopard, goat, lamb, cow, bear, and cobra are in heaven, dogs, cats, horses, dolphins (remember Flipper?), and other pets will be there as well.  And since God made a covenant that includes animals, and all creation (which includes animals) is awaiting the day when they will be free from death and decay, it seems to me that we can expect God to restore the animals just as He will restore our bodies and the earth. 

Joni Eareckson Tada, in her book, “Holiness in Hidden Places,” made the point that, because God’s purpose is for us to be eternally and infinitely happy in heaven, we can anticipate that our pets will be there waiting for us.

“If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn’t surprise me.  It would be just like Him.  It would be totally in keeping with His generous character … Exorbitant.  Excessive.  Extravagant in grace after grace … Heaven is going to be a place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on His children.” (Joni Eareckson Tada)

She then went on to express how utterly wonderful it would be if she were to once again see her pet schnauzer, Scrappy.

Dr. John Walvoord, President of Dallas Theological Seminary until 1986, made a similar point.  When participating in a panel answering questions, one of the conference attendees stepped up to the microphone to ask if she would see her beloved labrador again in heaven.  Dr. Walvoord’s answer was superb.  He asked the lady if it would make heaven happier for her if her dog was there.  She replied, “Oh yes, it would make me so happy!”  Dr. Walvoord replied, “If it will make you happier for him to be there, then he will be there.”

This is again based on the truth that God, out of His lavishing love, will make us infinitely happy in heaven.

In his book, “All Things New,” John Eldredge beautifully expressed his viewpoint that the earth cannot truly be renewed without a renewed animal kingdom:

“How could our creative God renew His precious earth and not fill it with a renewed animal kingdom? That would be like a school without children, a village without people. The sheer barrenness and bleakness of the thought is utterly abhorrent to the child-heart of God and His love for the animals, His precious creation.”

There is ample agreement about animals, including our pets, being in heaven. So, to Stacy I say be at peace.  The next time you see Remo, he will be stronger and healthier and smarter and happier than he has ever been before.

Questions:

1.      Pets come in all shapes and sizes:  Dogs, cats, horses, turtles, rabbits, birds, pigs, and so many more.  Have you ever had a pet or some animal that you loved who is no longer alive?  Have you been hopeful or doubtful that you would see them again someday? Why?

2.      What do you think it means that creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay (Romans 8:21)?  Do you think God will bring animals back to life or create new animals?