So,
we came to a decision that we would have her put down around mid-day on 1/27/22. She would get
a strong sedative to put her asleep; then she would be given a lethal injection
to cause her heart to stop. She never was in pain. The night before, we let
Lexus sleep with us. I woke up in the morning with her by my side. Her front
right leg was extended on my chest with her paw firmly on my neck. I wanted to
hang on to her a little longer, a few more days, perhaps, but I realized my
selfishness was prolonging her suffering. After we got up from the bed, Lexus
went back asleep under the covers. We had breakfast and got dressed in order to
take her to be put down. That’s a soft way of saying we were terminating her
life, yes? This situation was shaking me to my core!
I
got the animal carrier opened up with a small soft blanket inside as a cushion.
Lexus hated that pet carrier. It would be her last ride in that carrier. She
was on the other side of the bed; so, I went around and threw back the covers.
She looked so frail, so pitiful, so precious. Sleepy-eyed, she looked up at me
without any meows, and I about lost it. I was kissing her on the top of her head and telling her that I loved her; she had no idea that I was taking her to
die. I thought of the Judas kiss… I hated myself at that moment. The only way
that I could deal with my actions was by reminding myself that I was doing it to
avoid prolonging her suffering.
I
softly slid my arms under her, lifted her up, and placed her in the carrier very
gently. Unsurprisingly, she started a deep and loud meowing as I carefully
closed the top. Beverly held the carrier in her lap on this one-way trip for
Lexus, petting her through the open spaces of the carrier. I needed wipers on
my eyes as I drove. All the reasons to spare her for a while longer could not
circumvent her suffering; we knew that but even that could not fight back the
tears; I was broken like a twig.
Nearly
sixteen years with us was coming to a close, and I felt deep within me she
didn’t deserve to go this way. “Why could she not have passed away in her
sleep, oh, God?” I asked as if I knew best; I wasn’t thinking clearly. It
seemed so unnatural what I was doing to her, but at the same time, I didn’t
want her to suffer any longer. I was between a rock and a hard place. That gift
of mercy in putting her down painlessly kept me upright and moving forward. We
waited in the parking lot until she passed. Her body would be cremated. Her
death occurred on Thursday, 1.27.22 at 12:28.
After
leaving, we got a call, an hour or so later, and were asked to return to the
animal control center. We were given a framed statement with her name (Lexus
Alderman), her front paw prints, and her lifespan: May 11, 2006 – January 27,
2022. Under the dates were these words, “You may have left our arms, but never
our hearts.” When I saw her inked paw prints, I about lost it again. This was
such a sweet and loving gesture at a personal expense to the giver. I have this
unexpected framed tribute to the memory of Lexus hanging in my study along with
a picture of her from several years ago.
I
mentioned earlier about knowing of animals in heaven but unsure about pets. No
one really knows whether our pets will be in heaven. We know there are animals there
because we are coming back to earth with Christ on war horses at the close of
the seven-year tribulation period (Rev 19:11, 14), yes? There is no contextual reason
not to interpret this literally.
With
that said, what made the death of Lexus especially tough for me was the
prospect of never ever seeing her again due to my uncertainty of pets being in
heaven. The Lord knew I was looking at my cat’s death this way, but from that I
was to consider the death of all the souls stepping out into a Christ-less
eternity as well. I immediately saw the gross inequity in my thinking.
Yahweh was not denigrating my feelings, but I do
believe He wanted me to weep more over the souls of men going (not gone) into
eternity without Christ and be heartbroken over such a prospect. The Scriptures are very clear about once anyone steps into eternity without
Christ, they will ultimately remain in the lake of fire forever after the Great
White Throne judgment (the judgment of the lost).
Jesus
died so men would have a way to avoid the lake of fire! And still the gate remains
wide today as it was in the beginning that leads to destruction. The second
death is a spiritual death that separates the soul from Yahweh for all
eternity. It is unfathomable to comprehend the severity of this my dear reader.
Imagine a loved one who steps out into eternity without Christ. You will see
this person one other time at the Great White Throne judgment, and then never
again for all eternity! And this is no comparison, but even if I do not see
Lexus again, thankfully, she is not suffering. She simply is no more as she was
before being born on 5-11-2006; unless of course, Yahweh allows for pets in
heaven!?
Hell
and the Lake of Fire are so terribly exacting upon the soul; Jesus paid it all
for every person so they would not have to experience such a profound second death!
Oh, that those outside of Christ would ask forgiveness and repent of their
wicked ways! Then and only then could they enjoy life eternal with the One who
paid for their sins on the cross rather than being separated from God forever
in a really horrific place.
Listen
to the words of the Apostle Paul,
For
whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom 10:13).
Though
I cannot find any consolation from the Scriptures concerning our pets in
heaven, I would rather that all men seek to be saved, but I know that
will not happen either because it is a choice that has to be made by faith in
Christ, not every man is up to that (cf. Jn 3:19). The gate that leads to
destruction is as wide as it has always been.
Look,
I cannot say definitively that our pets will be in glory, but we cannot rule it
out either simply because the Bible is silent in the matter. The Bible is
reticent on many things for practical reasons, but that does not negate the
possibility of their reality in eternity.
If
you hadn’t observed, God is not asking us for our opinion on what heaven should
look like or who or what should be there. So, in spite of my reasoning, pets or
no pets in heaven is strictly His call; be that as it may, I still remain
hopeful that our pets will be there. Nonetheless, God is not beholding to any
of us to bring our pets along with us, yes? If our pets are or are not in
heaven, God has done us no wrong; it’s all good! It is just a heart’s desire of
a man this side of eternity.
I
love the goodness, graciousness, and greatness of Yahweh, and I place my trust
in Him in letting Lexus go regardless whether I will see her again or not. By
doing so, I allow my mind and heart to rest from being occupied by her absence to
being filled with thankfulness to Yahweh in what Lexus brought into the lives
of my wife and I for the past 16 years: joy and companionship (cf. 1 Thes 5:18).
I am not opposed to replacement therapy but that should not be an automatic
default upon the death of any pet; sometimes, pets are not easily replaced. And
I don’t want my emotions to jump out in front of my intellect and make a
decision unpleasing to God.
If
Yahweh is sovereign in our lives, we have to acknowledge that He allowed for us
to have a pet for a season, knowing that they have a short lifespan compared to
humans, yes? So, barring the rapture, we know this day would come that our pet
would experience either a natural death or be mercifully put to sleep then
euthanized. I am not ruling out getting another Bengal cat, but for now, I am
not willing to rush in getting another one.
There
is no doubt that pets bring therapeutic value to us physically and mentally. But the
situation with Lexus got me thinking that it is far from logical for me to weep
over an animal that has no soul more than the souls without Christ. I am not
saying that Jesus doesn’t care for the animal kingdom; He provides and cares
for all living things, man and animals.
As
a former enemy of Christ (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21), we need to love the enemies of
Christ (Mt 5:44) by taking the risks of winning them to the Lord because if
they step out into eternity without Him, they’re never coming back and only
headed for a whole heap of hurting forever. We need to love and take care of our
pets, too, knowing we may possibly never see them again.
If our
pets are not allowed in heaven, the comforting thing is that we know they will
simply cease to exist anymore unlike the lost who will have conscious awareness
of their afterlife environment. That painful feeling of finality with our pets should
stir us to be reminded of the greatest tragedy of the infinite worth of a soul
that ends up in the abyss and to do all that we can to warn the lost, “Get out! Get out! Your house is on fire!”
(1Co 13:2, NLT) If I
had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and
possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but
didn’t love others, I would be nothing.
(1Co 13:3, NLT) If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
Lexus (2.22.2018 0855)
