Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Subjected in Hope

Last night my dog died. He was old and it wasn't totally unexpected. The last few months his health had been deteriorating. It was still hard to see it happen though.

When I checked on him for the last time last night, he was struggling to breath, but still alive though he seemed unable to control any of his limbs or do anything more than just breath waiting for the inevitable. My other younger dog mostly kept her distance, except for letting out a few barks at the great unseen enemy that came for its due.

All this caused me to consider Romans 8:20, and how God subjected creation to corruption, not willingly but in hope. One day there will be a new earth, with no more death in the animal kingdom, no more pain and suffering. He allowed man to fall and as a result all creation was subject to these things, but it was not done purely punitively but in hope of the better world to come. Sometimes we can't see clearly now, but one day we will see that every suffering here that this creation must undergo will be more than made up for with joy in the new and perfect creation that God will make. May God grant that we all see it!

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