Living in Harmony Like our Animal Friends

I seem to get good blog material when I'm here in Austin as the animal caregiver. These critters -- the chickens and ducks in their pen and coop, and the donkeys and goats in their barn and field areas live together in harmony – but they do have their cantankerous moments. The goats with horns seem to dominate the larger Nubian long-eared goats. And there’s one horned-goat “Oreo” who gets very possessive of his bowl of feed. He’s not willing to share with any of the other goats. I scold him and push him back so another goat can share with him. It is a temporary solution. The youngest donkey gets possessive of the feed container for just him and his mom. I scold him and I invite Molly, the biggest donkey back in. It’s typically a harmonious kingdom but not always a peaceful kingdom.

Then there’s the longhorn Vamanos who is in a field all to himself. He is peaceful and stately, Texas-stately, for sure. No complaints out of him. He just waits patiently for his giant rubber container of feed and several stacks of hay. And, there’s the peaceful, “saintly” Havanese dog who is my shadow and sidekick. But then, he has no other dogs to compete with or to have to tolerate – just like Vamamos. Instead of perfect harmony – that’s perfect solo living. But, who wants to go it “solo” all the time?

The fact is God created animals and human beings to co-exist. He created us to not necessarily agree all the time, but to harmonize by agreeing to disagree without bitterness and hatred. To respect each other even when we are complete opposites in faith, ideals, and persuasions. My grandson took me for a tour of downtown Austin a couple of days ago -- to the State Capital Building and Congress Avenue where there are all kinds of sights and sounds and people groups, and silly photo opportunities everywhere (i.e., Willie for President). We had lunch in a trendy place with great food and packed with people. Our waiter was a proud, friendly gay man who gave us excellent service. He was hilarious and outgoing. I was overcome with love for this man and whispered a prayer for him. I’m sure we have little in common, but what we do have in common is we our neighbors and I love him as I love myself. I gave him a good tip, a hug, and told him I loved him when we left. I meant it.

Life is full of unexpected plot twists and exciting cliff-hangers, and in a world where technology is progressing at an ever-accelerating pace, it’s about high-time we learned to stop and smell the roses, the barnyards, the restaurants and the places where people are. Jesus didn’t always hang out in the temple. He was going to the tax-collectors' and sinners' homes and other places that others deemed questionable. By hanging out with the undesirables, Jesus shows me His great capacity for love and compassion. By consistently taking those with off-the-track thinking and getting them back-on-track, He teaches us real lessons we can learn when we "do what Jesus did".

I look at the peace in these animals when they are in the field, calmly co-habitating, eating grass, mulling around, sharing the space together. We humans are the pinnacle of God's creation and we are the beings created in His image. When we live and act with compassion and sensitivity, we become more like God. Maybe that’s one of the reasons He created so many varieties of animals. If we looked at the ants and took on their diligence and determination. The birds of the air how they toil not and worry not. The peace of this little dog that is laying beside me now – he knows he’s loved and cared for – and shouldn’t we feel the same way about our Father God who cares infinitely more about us than the animal kingdom? After all, He loved us so much He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could live with Him forever. The closer we become to God, the more we realize, that He really made us to be "caretakers of the world – caretakers of each other." A barometer for one's sensitivity towards animals and other people may eventually lead to goodwill for all mankind. I hear those Christmas words again “Peace on earth. Goodwill to all men (and women).”