We had a snow day yesterday. Thankfully, since it was a Saturday, I didn’t have to go to work or anywhere else! Other than a quick walk with Rodney, I was able to stay indoors and marvel at how the swirling snowflakes could evoke such stillness in the white world outside my windows.

I must also confess I got caught in the swirling loop of scrolling. Do you ever do that? All it took was one post of somebody begging to save a dog that was scheduled to be euthanized at a shelter. The next thing I knew, I had spent a teary hour, reading the backstories, and looking into the innocent faces of dogs who have been tormented, traumatized, then tossed by the same human hands they should have been able to trust.

I say innocent, because the hearts of animals have not fallen away from God and been corrupted. They do not have a sin nature. Yes, they are under the curse of sin and death but it is the result of humans making selfish choices starting at the Beginning of Time in the Garden. As a result all creatures can exhibit the bad behavior that comes with living in a fallen world.

I believe that usually what we like to call bad behavior in our pets is a direct result of poor guidance, and mistreatment by humans. We train them by what we do and we train them by what we don’t do.

There’s no point in being angry at any creature. It’s not been their choice to live under the curse of sin and death. The blame for their troubled behavior lies fully on us not only from the beginning of time but also how we relate to them now. There’s no way for us get out from under it.

Just think of Levi, Sue’s first Hearing Dog. He had been abused and traumatized, but after his trust had been earned again, even though he still had emotional scars, he changed her life. Once he had renewed confidence and was given a job, he began to fulfill the purpose that God had created for him.

Sue never knew the full damage Levi had endured. Only that he cowered and trembled in fear at an outstretched hand. And it’s because at one time he innocently trusted hands.

Have you ever heard someone say, “well, we’re supposed to have dominion over all creation.”

What does having dominion mean? Sadly, for many it means, “I am stronger than you and can do what I want to you; I can even kill you.” Then they kick the dog or yell at the cat or gleefully shoot the songbird. Some people even take it out on their own kids. There’s wars and rumors of wars. Universally, humans are entranced by their own power and in having dominion over something…
whether it’s something small or enormous…
whether it’s under our roof or just in our way.

Sadly, the power shown in this fallen world is too often angry, vengeful, self-centered. And having dominion in this way shows how sin-cursed we really are.

So what does having dominion really mean?

According to the first chapters of Genesis, God gave dominion of the earth to Adam and Eve so they could manage it. Keep in mind that when God said this, there was no sin in the world and there was no death. They were simply to be good stewards of what He had trusted to their care.

Eugenia Price says in her book, What Really Matters, (hold on, it’s a longer quote but very important.)

“Christians are those who dare to believe that the God who began it all- The God, Who Is the Beginning- took the trouble to become one of us…. A God like this must, by His very nature, be approachable to anyone who needs Him. He is the God who knew that unless He sent a part of Himself, a touchable, knowable true part of Himself, to live among us, we would never really grasp His nature. It is not too hard to conceive of a powerful God. We love, and at times I think, nearly worship earthly power. We find it quite easy to aspire to it.

Neither is it hard to conceive of an all-knowing God. It is possible for us to study, to cultivate our minds, until we possess awesome human knowledge. It is, unhappily, too easy for us- because of our faulty human natures- to conceive of a God of punishment, a God of vengeance.

The Father saw all of this in us. Of course, He sees it now. But in His own time, He did something about our distorted concept of His own heart, His intentions toward us. He came Himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, who embodied the forgiving, loving, eternally caring heart of the Father, before us, with us, so that we can pray, “ Our Father…”

Do we have the attitude of Christ toward all of His creation?

All of God’s Creation reflects something of His attributes and character. Just think of the calm and pristine beauty of newly fallen snow, or the tiniest muddy toad hopping across the road…

There is even something of God in the life of~
the nosy neighbor who is constantly in your business,
the troubled drug addict who’s now homeless,
the snarling dog who’s been kicked one too many times,
The parrot who talks too much using uncensored language,

There is always a backstory.
We need to remember that it’s an explanation.
It is NOT an excuse.

The backstory is usually the result of the sin-curse.

But, if we can take the time to see beyond the immediate situation and take in the dynamics of the entire picture…

Dynamics ~ From the Greek word (δύναμις) Dunamis. Definition: power.

We need to often remind ourselves and each other that it is the power of Jesus that holds all things together. He gently and carefully holds all of His Creation in His powerful hands.

Christ Who is the visible image of the invisible God
…existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

for through Him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through Him and for Him.

He existed before anything else,
and He holds all creation together.
We may live under a curse, but if we honestly cry out to Him for help, He will rescue us from the Kingdom of Darkness and transfer us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son. (Colossians 1)

That puts the responsibility rightfully and directly back upon us to be a good caretaker of His creation, with all of His creatures, whether great or small, whether animal or human!

And maybe just maybe, your life will be unexpectedly enriched, just as Sue’s life was enriched by her Hearing Dog, Levi!

(In 1986 Purina Pro Plan became the first company that created a kibble that contained real meat for pets. Apparently, the following year in 1987, Sue and Levi were selected as part of their promotional campaign!)