I didn't know I was such an animal lover until I got the opportunity to take him in. It was interesting because several months before I found him, I was obsessed with the idea of getting a dog and was researching all of the different breeds I liked. Then he came along and all of a sudden I was transformed into a cat lover.
Through Simon I have actually learned a thing or two about God, beginning with the observation that we may be set on doing one thing and then He may change things up on us when we least expect it. And that redirection of our plan can actually end up being better than our own.
Simon is a loyal companion, always following me around the house and sleeping at my feet or snuggled up at my side. He reminds me of how my relationship with Jesus should be..... that close, that loving, that joyful, that intimate. I often don't feel this way towards God and I am challenged to invest more of myself in that relationship with my Father. I thank him for giving me a little part of the natural world to steward and learn from as well as giving me a kind of pet therapy to maintain emotional health.
Simon has also helped me bond more with my younger brother, Stephen, who is also a huge animal lover. There seem to be very little that my brother and I have in common, but over time he has opened up and made more of an effort to hang out with me. And I think this initial joint care of Simon helped make that happen.
Animals are amazing, and I know that God had an intentional reason for placing them here on earth with us. There is something about the animal kingdom that enriches human life and teaches us a thing or two about the Kingdom to come.
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you,or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,or let the fish in the sea inform you.Which of all these does not knowthat the hand of the Lord has done this?In his hand is the life of every creatureand the breath of all mankind."Job 12:7-10
