Creation Care and My Friend Louie

This past Friday my family and I had to say goodbye to our cat, Louie.  He was the quintessential lap kitty who could always be counted on to keep us warm (even in the midst of summer).  He was certainly a scaredy-cat, but he was very friendly, and once he got to know you, he would let you pet him for hours on end.

Over the course of the last few weeks, Louie became very ill.  He was quickly loosing weight, had stopped eating, and there were some signs that there was something seriously wrong.  A visit to the vet confirmed that he had something, either a foreign object or a growth, that was causing him to bleed.  There was a chance that further expensive tests, surgeries, and treatments may reveal a method of treatment that could save him, but it would have been quite a difficult process.  With the serious discomfort our Louie would face, and because we could not afford a sustained, uncertain treatment plan, we made the difficult decision to let Louie go.

On Tuesday of this past week, Dr. Jay Sklar gave a lecture on Genesis 1-2.  Part of our discussion revolved around our duty as humans made in the image of God to care for His good creation.  We are to care for our earth, and the creatures in it, and facilitate its flourishing.  As I sat at the vet's office contemplating what would be best for our sick cat, I couldn't help but wonder if I was living up to our calling as God's vice-regents in creation.  I think Louie had a better life than most animals, and lived longer than he would have in the wild.  We tried make our home a good place for him, and fed and cared for him as best we could.  But nevertheless, the final days of his life make me wonder if we did all we could have done.

What is perhaps most clear in all of this, though, is the impact of Genesis 3.  This world does not work as it should.  Death has come to reign in the world though the rebellion and sin of our first parents.  We cannot live up to the calling of Genesis 1-2 because of the events of Genesis 3.

But there is great news to be found even in this.  God in His infinite grace and mercy has a plan to overcome our rebellion.  He is redeeming us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and through Him, all creation will be restored and made new.  As Paul says in Colossians 1.15-20:
 
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." ESV


Praise be to God for the redemption He has given in His Son and the restoration of all His good creation.  As the end of the story says, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." -Revelation 21.4

Soli Deo gloria.

"Cor meum tibi offero, Domine, prompte et sincere."