"Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul.
like a weaned child with his mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me"
Psalm 131: 2
We had to say good-bye to our beloved little dog Shamus yesterday. He was a sweet little friend to us for 13 years, but his body became ill and tired and it was time to let him go. My heart is broken and I woke up this morning not knowing how I was going to live with the gaping loss. I kept seeing his precious trusting eyes as I said the final goodbye, feeling the agony of loss.
But the words of Psalm 131:2, came to mind and I realized that I was being offered comfort, as I repeated them over and over until I felt a supernatural calm come over me. The comfort of the Spirit doesn't take away the pain of loss, but it soothes, like healing balm.
The pain and grief is very real. Anyone who's lost a dear pet knows how deeply they become entangled in our hearts and how difficult it is when they leave us. We want to know if dogs really do go to heaven; if there's a place for them on the other side. Of course, I don't know for sure, but I want to believe that when an animal has been deeply loved by humans and has brought joy and companionship to us, they live on in some way. And so I will cling to this hope.
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