Last week was a particularly hard week for my family. Our wonderful family dog got sick and we ended up having to put him to sleep.
We had Lucky for 12 years. He was a member of our family. When Randy moved last April and Beth and I were left in Georgia for 2 more months, Lucky slept beside my bed. He kept me company and would listen to all my problems. He never judged me. He loved me unconditionally.
When I came home from work on Thursday, April 4th, I noticed that something was wrong. He staggered a little bit and actually fell down a couple times. I was concerned but thought perhaps he was tired. There had been men working outside our house that day and perhaps he hadn’t gotten any sleep.
The next morning he didn’t look any better. We “penned” him in our kitchen and we left for work. When I got home that Friday night, he was worse. My daughter came home from college that night and witnessed him “collapsing” in our kitchen. We immediately called the vet and got an appointment for Saturday morning.
The vet took x-rays and did blood work and told us all his tests came back normal. We put him on a special diet and gave him some medicine. He continued to get worse.
Tuesday night, April 9th, our daughter called to check on him and we told her he was not doing well and we didn’t think he would make it through the week. That night my husband had to carry him out to use the bathroom. He placed him on his bed and I hand fed him some shredded chicken. I had to hold the water dish up to his mouth for him to drink.
Wednesday night, April 10th, our daughter drove home from college (an hour away) to see Lucky. She saw that her Dad had to carry him out to the bathroom. Lucky stood long enough to “go” and then took one step forward and collapsed. He lay there unable to get up. We carried him back in and he refused to eat anything. He refused to drink. We were able to hand dip some water and get him to lick our hands. We then decided that it was time to call the vet. The vet was unsure exactly what happened to our “buddy” but he thinks it must have been a brain tumor. Lucky went peacefully to sleep that night. We cried our eyes out. We missed him terribly.
Some Christians believe that pets don’t go to heaven because they don’t have souls. They were not created in the image of God. The Bible doesn’t tell us whether heaven includes animals or not. It does say that not even a sparrow can fall to the ground without God knowing about it.
It can be argued that while people must come to faith in Christ in order to enter into heaven, and that the same rules do not apply to animals when they die. Our furry friends don’t struggle with being obedient to God.
I cannot say for sure what happens to animals when they pass away. I can look at what I know about God and go from there.
The first thing we see in the bible is that as the Creator, God loves and enjoys all he created. It was good (Genesis 1:31) and He cares and provides for it (Psalm 104).
The Bible also tells us that God is good and that he always does what’s right.
“You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.” (Psalm 119:68)
This theme runs throughout the Bible.
Finally, we see that the God’s main purpose in the work is to save people from their sin. He has a special plan for humanity that is different than the rest of creation.
So, God’s focus is on having a relationship with people but he does love and care for all His creation. I can’t say for sure that Lucky is in heaven but I can trust God and know that He always does what is right and good.
Lucky loved us unconditionally. He didn’t care what we looked like. He didn’t care how much money we made. He didn’t care what jobs we had. All he wanted was our love and attention. So I will grieve for him because I miss him greatly but I know that God loves me and He loves Lucky, too.
"O Lord, You preserve both man and beast." Psalm 36:6
"A righteous man regards the life of his animal." Proverbs 12:10
In God’s future kingdom, all pain will be gone. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I create all things new.’ And He said to me, “Write this down, for these words are true and faithful.’” Revelation 21:4,5.
“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalms 46:1
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Psalms 46:1
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