I just finished watching a video of sick puppy that had been thrown over a fence and into the yard of dog shelter. I don’t know which country this shelter was located in, but I did get the sense that it was a place that didn’t hold much value in pets. The reason I say this is because a woman came in later to give the shelter the dog’s sibling, saying that she didn’t want to have to throw it into the garbage. I imagine she would have, if she had not been aware of the existence of the shelter.
The people at the shelter went to great lengths to save the puppy, including visits to the veterinarian. And it even appeared to be working. But, one night, the puppy just passed away. I have difficultly using the word ‘died’ to describe the passing of such a little thing. It hardly had a chance at life.
I was devastated. I couldn’t believe I felt so bad, over a dog I didn’t even know. I could sense its pain, its despair of ever being well again, and finally, its succumbing to death.
That woman had waited too long. Such ignorance, such stupidity, such callousness. How do people become like that: cold, unfeeling, “practical”? I feel that, as a race, we are losing our sense of compassion.
It’s experiences like that make me realize that I have become more caring. I think of it as becoming more human. That’s the upside. The downside is I feel others’ pain more deeply, sometimes almost more than I can take. It is at those times of deep emotional pain that I cry out to Jesus to help me bear it. This is a far cry from what I used to be like, before I was Saved.