With Adoring Eyes

Occasionally a video pops up on my newsfeed about a lone or neglected animal given a new start by a caring rescuer.  I am impressed at the great lengths people go to for the purpose of rescuing strays and nursing them back to health.  They patiently build the trust of the animal until they can safely catch it with the aim to provide food, shelter and love.  Often over the course of months or years (which take mere minutes in a video) the horse, cat or dog that was rescued, fostered and settled undergoes massive changes in physical appearance and behaviour.  Animals that suffered neglect and abuse transform from being aggressive, skittish or cowering to bouncing around a yard at play, tail wagging with bright eyes, looking happy and healthy.

Whenever I see those videos, I consider how the change in these animals provide insight into the lives of people who also have suffered for whatever reason.  One thing the rescuers do not focus on is how the creature came to be in such an emaciated, unhealthy or aggressive state, as if it was their fault:  their sole aim is to care for the animal today and for a bright future.  They do not withhold care if the animal previously ran away, had been dumped by an owner or was born in the wild.  Another thing demonstrated by these rescuers is patience, perseverance and compassion.  They do not lash out in anger or shout if the cat snarls or the dog snaps and even draws blood to defend itself in fear.  The hope is in time the animal will respond positively to being spoken to gently, fed, washed and loved.  While there may be sad cases when neglected animals are too far gone to recover fully, the only way they could ever recover is because someone cared enough to do something about it.

Christians are those who have been rescued by Jesus Christ, for we were like sheep going astray.  It is like we laboured under a heavy fleece that was matted and filthy, were infested with parasites, had eaten noxious weeds that made us ill and were skittish from the attacks of predators.  God has done more than foster us but has adopted us sinners as His beloved sons and daughters.  A rescued animal learns to trust the one who rescued and feeds it, and as believers we are to look to God in faith, worship and gratitude.  There is something in a person that feels special to be the one relied upon or looked to by adoring eyes even of an animal, and should God use us to lead others to Jesus our role is to remind and help them to look to Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd who feeds, protects and provides for all our needs.

People are willing to go into the alleys to find a stray and nurse it back to health so it can be re-homed, and Jesus went to the lost sheep of Israel and opened His arms wide as He called for them to come.  For the most part the Jews in Israel were unwilling, but many of us have heard His voice and come to Him in faith.  Since Jesus has done all for us by coming to us and dying in our place, it follows we ought to demonstrate the same care and compassion to others by dying to self and seeking to have others restored to reliance upon Him.  There are people who suffer neglect on the street, and there are others who are just as spiritually neglected and abused by Satan who live in mansions worth millions.  Jesus has rescued us, and as we look to Him with adoring eyes we can lead others to Him by His grace.