TGIF
A week ago today, I received Miss Kitty’s ashes from the veterinary office.
They handed me a decorative paper sack which contained her remains in a small tin urn. I was struck by how light the bag was, compared to the living weight of the cat I once held daily. Unable and unwilling to process any more grief, I sat the package down next to the remains of Chester and left it there.
I opened it yesterday.
The little urn had script on top…”Until we meet again at the rainbow bridge”….
She will need a new urn immediately.
There is no “rainbow bridge”… that is a mythical idea to help humans deal with our grief when pets die that had to be cooked up to cover for a perceived lack of place in the afterlife for them in Christianity.
The tragedy is that Christians think they must cling to such for comfort.
My hope is not in a cute falsehood, but in the incomprehensible love of Jesus Christ.
My hope is in truth.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
(Romans 8:18–25 ESV)
The whole creation has been subjected to futility, the whole creation groans, the whole creation will be redeemed.
The love we have for our pets is real love, pure love.
Love does not die, it simply changes locations…it returns to the One it came from, jointly held by Him and us, waiting for redemption and reunion on that Day.
“Where does it say that in the Bible?”
This is the theme of the whole Bible, you verse pinching dullard.
““What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—”
(1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV)
“So…if good cats go to heaven, do bad cats go to hell”?
There are no bad cats, just bad owners… and they go to hell and I’m happy about that.
When they bury me, these words will be said over me
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother Michael and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be gracious to him, the Lord lift up his countenance upon him and give him peace. Amen.
I have already prayed it over the pets that will be buried with me.
In sure and certain hope of the resurrection.
We came from “ashes’ and return to “ashes”…and that is good news because God makes new life out of ashes.
Sure.
Certain.
Hope.
See you again my beloved Missy.
Make your own application…
Very nice Michael.
Indeed all creation groans and is tainted. If all creation is tainted, and then God is able to redeem all creation.
I have no patience for people who think heaven will be just one massive choir concert with everyone in pasty white robes singing 16th century hymns non-stop ad nauseum. If God can turn stones to bread, as the enemy implied God could do, then let’s not handcuff our God.
Well stated words Michael.
Thanks, Dan.
Why we would think that the medieval portrait of heaven is the plumb line is beyond me.
We seem to want to make the incredibly good news as banal as possible.
We came from “ashes’ and return to “ashes”…that is good news because God makes life out of ashes.
Michael and Dan,
According to the Scriptures, not will creation be set free from the bondage of corruption of the Fall, but _everything_ will be set to whatever characteristics, properties, attributes, specifications,etc. before the Fall.
IOW, your ears and how your brain perceives sounds AND Miss Kitty’s purr will be no longer tainted by the Fall. I have no idea how or by what amount that changes what they were on this earth (as we do no have a point of reference), but it will be different (and better and as God intended).
I hope that makes sense.
CM,
It makes sense because it’s true.
We have very few details about the intermediate state or the kingdom in it’s fullness…but we do know that all is redeemed, heaven and earth become one place and God dwells with His people.
Let the sanctified imagination run wild thinking of the joy to come…
Michael and Dan from GA,
The fact the entire universe is tainted by the fall means we have no real point of reference. To borrow from Quantum Mechanics, it is a measurement problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurement_problem
No slight is intended in the reference of the Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment of explaining this measurement problem.
Michael: “Let the sanctified imagination run wild thinking of the joy to come…”
Yes!!!
Love does not die, it simply changes locations
This made me cry, Michael.
Thank you.
This is perfect Michael! As my late dad used to say when we love our pets so much, our loving Father, who loves us even more, will reunite us with them some day. I’ve always held onto this & so glad you feel the same.