Are you a pet lover? Now that Betty and I are empty nesters, our little brown dachshund, Heidi, has filled our hearts and home with indescribable joy. We are so grateful to God for this little bundle of love. She is always excited when we come in the house even if we just went out into the garage to check on something. You would think we had been gone for days. She is glad to be with us and is sad when she is not. Sounds a lot like first love, doesn’t it?

Pets can show us how we should always love to abide in God’s presence. Pets certainly don’t do everything right, but most of them love us unconditionally. It seems, oftentimes, even the smallest dog would fight a bear or a lion trying to protect us.

I love when Heidi lies on my chest with her big, brown eyes staring a hole in me. I am certain she is just admiring me. If you have a dog or a cat, you know that feeling you get when they sit at your feet just gazing at you. Don’t we love it?

Somehow I think our intent look into the very face of God with deep, inner longing would speak much louder to Him than pleading and begging. Our fixation on Him would confirm our absolute faith and confidence in His ability to do all things well and to meet every legitimate need. We all need to readjust our focus. May God help us all to fix our eyes on the standard so we can plow through life without wavering from side to side because of meaningless and damaging distractions or attractions.

Why are Pets Easier to Love Than People?

So why can pets be much easier to love than people? Pets annoy us when they needlessly bark or relieve themselves at the wrong times in the wrong places. There are ways, however, to stop them from doing this or easily clean up the mess.

But with people it is totally different. Many make so much annoying noise — always complaining, criticizing, refusing personal responsibility, blaming others, and being ungrateful. Come to think of it, Betty and I have never heard Heidi yelp a “thank you,” but we can tell she appreciates our help.

People are too often rude, impatient, lovers of themselves, lovers of stuff more than people, full of envy, jealous, disobedient to parents, disrespectful, unloving, unholy, without self-control, haters of good, conceited, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness while denying His power (2 Timothy 3:2–5).

What is God’s Answer?

What are we to do? Here is God’s answer: Trust Him for a miracle of love and grace and remember that but for His grace, there go we. Such were some of us before Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). Even now it is easy for us to slip back into the ways of the world. The culture’s temptations are endless and too often filled with seemingly attractive clatter.

Our only hope is God’s help, which He freely offers if we will accept it. It is absolutely impossible to properly love others as we should unless we seek and allow His help.

Let’s pray together that God will grant us the grace to love people more than pets — as tough as that may be. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26) and “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). This inner transformation is what we all need.

Do you have a picture of your favorite pet? Share it with us on my Facebook page — @revjamesrobison.