spirit the dog

"Spirit"
(No, I am not making a statement with this name. It is simply her name. And I did not give it to her. :)

Look at this little joker. One blue eye, crazy huge ears. She is part german shepherd, part husky. No, she is not a part of our family, but she almost was! We spotted this beauty on the Brother Wolf Canine Rescue website. (brotherwolfcaninerescue.org) Thankfully, she found a forever home last Sunday.

If you haven't figured it out, we love dogs. They are incredible in so many ways- they are intricate, beautiful creatures. This is not be a post about how wonderful dogs are. And if you're wondering if this is to pull at your heartstrings, get you in touch with your inner dog-lover, or even to encourage you to rescue a dog... well, maybe. If you think you can provide a loving home for a creature that is in need, go for it. If not, please don't. Instead, encourage those you know who can provide that. I am thinking about this because of an unfortunate experience this week.

I heard a speaker, whom I greatly admire, specifically discourage the endeavor to help our canine neighbors. His argument, in short, was that children are so much more important. We should focus our energy, our money, our overall efforts towards rescuing kids. While I wholeheartedly agree with the fight for the orphan and unborn children of the world- it is, in my opinion, the greatest issue of justice of our time. However, when did helping children in need automatically rule out helping the creatures of the earth? Unfortunately, I have heard this argument often. I will try not to ramble, but let me just say the word "Genesis". I will not begin to argue that creatures are more important than humans. I do NOT believe that. Though I do not think the LEVEL of importance is really the issue. I will, however, remind us of the Creation story and that creatures of the land, sky and sea are mentioned and their existence is certainly very important. Genesis 1:24, "And God said, "let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

I must admit, I fought the urge to capitalize the entire word "good". The text goes on to say that He created "male and female". To paraphrase, God blessed them, told them to increase in number and to rule over the earth and all that is in it. Yes, it says "rule". It does not say, however, to be apathetic towards, to discourage the care of, or to condone the abuse of or to neglect. As a bonus, I think the same could be said of the land, water and sky themselves, but I will spare you the whole of my soap box. Not to mention the incredible, praise-provoking balance and dependence of earth elements and creatures that make up eco-systems that help support life, including that of humans, including kids in need. (Or maybe I will mention it. :) Plants, creatures and humans were all created on the same "day"... all forms of life. This is incredible and hardly coincidental. I don't think anything about God's Creation process was coincidental.

Genesis 2:19-20, "Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man (Adam) to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name." My thoughts: why should they have names? does this mean they are important enough to have names? is this the first account of humanity's creative expression, connecting with this aspect of the character of God? why should Adam name them?

Regardless, I think this may be suggesting that there is something important between humankind and creatures of the earth. From the beginning, there was an established relationship between them, and it was initiated by God.