Day 6

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NLT)

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1, NLT)

“‘For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,’ says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” (Isaiah 54:10, NLT)

Love never ends.

Perhaps some of the most beautiful and tangible expressions of God’s love come to us through our pets: animals who don’t care what we look like, what we’re wearing, how much money we make, or what we do for a living. Animals who accept us as we are, every moment of every day, without requiring us to self-edit or filter, and who show up for us day after day after day, because they want to be with that unedited, unfiltered version of us.

What better picture of God’s love is there than that? Unconditional, faithful, loyal love.

Think about your own pet. In what ways did you see reflections of God’s love through them?

Losing those daily tangible expressions of love is devastating, but in our grief we must hold fast to the truth that God’s love hasn’t left us. The shape and expressions of it might have changed, but his love, as well as the impact of the love we shared with our pet, will remain with us forever.

We don’t have to hide from our grief or try to push it away. Instead, we can welcome it as the messenger it is—the reminder of the love we shared with our pet, and love’s enduring echo. We can listen to the echo and remember the love that has forever changed us.

Even as your heart breaks at losing your beloved pet—a fur-covered picture of God’s love—love himself is holding your heart, wrapping his presence around you, and whispering, “I love you, and I am here.”

You don’t have to fear or resent your grief. Instead, you can find healing by observing it, listening to it, and using it as a reminder to thank God for the time you had with your pet. Your grief can remind you of the beautiful love you experienced through your beloved companion—a love that will never die.

When you’re ready . . .

What did your pet teach you about love? What were some ways that you experienced God’s love through your pet?

Prayer

Father, thank you for loving me so much that you sent me my pet to display your love to me. Help me to trust that your love for me remains, even as I adjust to life without my pet.