I love all animals. We currently have three cats and three dogs in our abode. I have had two parrots, too many snakes to remember, mice as pets after the snakes decided that they were not hungry, hamsters, a guinea pig, and a Savannah Monitor. When I was much younger we actually had 17 cats at one time (nine of them were kittens!) I have rescued countless birds because I decided that, if they were not going to live, they at least need to die with dignity. I actually saved a squirrel from the clutches of death (at the paws of my horrible huntress and her brother) much to the horror (and secret delight) of my family. I simply can't see my life without animals. Poor Mark! He probably harbors the secret fear that one day he'll come home to a Noah's Ark scenario.
There are some "things" about animals, though,
opportunities if you will allow me to use this word. You have to learn how to take care of them. Care of a parrot is much different than care of a monitor. The environment to be created for a water snake is completely different than that of one required by a reptile who lives in an arid climate. Dogs and cats speak for themselves; they are entirely different from one another.
Another
opportunity with animals is that, well, they sometimes leave a mess. Occasionally the mess might smell. Nothing reeks of "I love you" like a wet, muddy dog hopping on the bed. House training a new puppy is always an adventure. Rodents just smell. Period. (Sorry if you disagree - my experience has been that they stink). Kitties have their own way of letting you know they're around. Even snakes are a little smelly and they don't even
do much.
If you wonder where I am going with this, I don't blame you. To recap, I love animals but not everything about them is pain free or always pleasant. Sometimes I have to learn something I didn't know,put forth effort when I don't feel like it (change the sheets late at night after the muddy dog jump), share them with others (a tough one for me!), or just trust them to be who they are.
Here's the point: life without animals has great potential to be stink free. But for me it would be boring. I would be lost without the ongoing adventure of my silly critters, looking to see if the Beast has tucked herself away on a shelf or in a closet waiting to pounce. What would coming home from work be like without little Dweezil dancing at my feet, terrorizing my toes? Or Jack taking a minute to actually acknowledge me from his vantage point as kind of the jungle? And what if Baby wasn't there to talk back to me? or Milo to cuddle up, sleep, and keep me warm? What if I turned on the bathroom light and Ferris wasn't sitting in the sink impatiently waiting for the water to be turned on for him? Life would just be blah.
I like the adventure of having pets in my life. I think that this adventure parallels to being a Christian. It's not always fun, easy, convenient, or what I'm ready for, but it is so worth the investment that Jesus asks me to make. He never asks anything of me that is greater than His sacrifice on the cross.
Today as I face the trials and tribulations of my daily routine, no matter how small or large, I'm going to smile and remind myself that although my life may be a little stinky at times, it is not boring, and there is great reward to be gained through tenacity in my walk with Jesus.
