254. Life with Pet

Many of you might know already, but our family got two kittens. Our kids had been nagging for years to get a cat, and we told them that they were not ready to take care of it yet. But as our first daughter got older and as the time we spent at home increased due to the pandemic, we decided that it was time to get one. Jen had the experience of having a cat, so she did most of the work. At first, we wanted to adopt one from the rescue center, but we didn’t qualify for some reason. But not too long after, Jen found two sister kittens on Kijiji, eight weeks old. The owner was super friendly, and we were very thankful for the process and the timing of adopting beautiful kittens.

I was surprised at liking the kittens immediately because I was never a pet person. I have never owned one or even wanted to get one. I always thought that the inconvenience of caring for a pet outweighed the joy it could bring. Even while Jen was searching for Cat, I still wasn’t sure if I was ready to own a pet. But to everyone’s surprise, I am in love with them!

So far, having pets brought a lot of positives. My kids became a bit more responsible. As they become more caring, they seem to think about their needs less, and they spend less time on screen.

But it also helped me to reimagine the picture of life in heaven. When I thought about heaven, I realized that animals were never in it. That is not surprising because our imagination of heaven is often based on our own experience. But scripture portrays heaven as a place where ferocious animals play with infants and toddlers without any harm. (Isaiah 11:6-9) I was reminded that the world where everything is restored to God’s original design wouldn’t be too far off from the life we know. If even a glimpse (though flawed) can be this good, how much more in full reality!

I am glad that I didn’t object to my wife’s plan to get a pet. (But not sure if I had the veto power in the first place!) It just feels warm to see everyone enjoying the interaction with little creatures, with my increasing anticipation of heaven in a new light!