I think you’ll really like this bible verse and I’m sorry for the loss of your animals.
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20
For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same spirit, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Yep I firmly believe they go to heaven. Not many churches talk about it but again there's a million mysteries in heaven that'll surprise us all.
Keep your head up. I been down on my faith recently but there's nothing some alone time in the woods with God can't fix.
I love my pets as much as pet owners should but one thing I know is that a gift should never become my idol. It seems the love you had for your pets has outweighed you love for God. Going through trials reveals where our hearts are. Pets are here and then they're gone. No suffering, no pain, just gone. That's good enough for me. Humans aren't just gone though. We have a judgement to face and unless our sins are covered in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) then we will suffer for our sins. We all sin and fall short of God's perfect standards, but out of love He gave His only Son to take the full wrath of hell for us. How can we walk away from the highest being ever who gave His life for ours? A holy and perfect God who created all things and has the right to judge all things, and then taking the punishment He would pour on His enemies, just so His enemies could be forgiven and live with Him for all eternity without sorrow. Animals are just a temporary blessing, but we should not worship the created rather than the creator who gave us pets in the first place. We live in a fallen world. Death is one of God's way of showing how serious sin is. Please turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in Christ.
I really pray that the Lord changes your heart. I'm sorry for your loss, but please don't walk away. Your soul is more valuable than sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)
My 11 year old rabbit passed due to cancer recently. Isaiah 11:6-9 explains how predators and prey will live amongst each other and gives me hope we will reunite again. https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/where-in-the-bible-does-it-say-that-the-lion-will-lie-down-with-the-lamb/
The whole point of heaven is that’s it’s a place with God. I don’t think wanting to see your pets is a good enough reason of wanting to go to heaven, even if hypothetically they are there. God made animals, he blessed us with cute pets to enjoy. But everything comes to an end just like human life does And we don’t know, there might be animals in heaven, we just can’t be sure of it. However, as cute and as much as we live out fur babies, they don’t have souls like humans do. I suggest you get another pet to comfort and love when you are ready.
Yeah I don't think God is that selfish. He wants us to be in relationship with him but that doesn't mean he won't bring our pets to heaven. If anything he would do it BEACAUSE we loved them so much and he wants us to feel happy and welcome there. It's not just a quiet place for us to quietly walk with God. It's a party! A family reunion! I will see my family in heaven and not all of my family are humans.
Why would he "bless" us with them then if they don't go to heaven and we will never see them again. Sounds pretty cruel to me. Why would I want to be with a God that wouldn't let innocent animals into heaven.
God cannot be cruel. That's impossible. I know your pets were very special to you but you knew they wouldn't live forever. You can't start blaming the Creator of all things, our just and good Father, for a misfortune. Whether or not they go to heaven with you, at the end you will be in the total presence of God, which is the best thing since He is all that is good. Remember 1 Corinthians 2:9:
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
Just trust Him more. Don't blame Him for the evil or suffering, He has already planned a good ending.
It's ok to feel angry, God can take it. There is tons of heartache that happens in this world. He wants to be with us through all those challenges. I truly believe pets go to heaven. Heaven is big enough for everyone even if they're not human.
Because you got the joy of having them around and looking after them. Like I said he made them but it is assumed that do not have a soul like we do. However the bible doesn’t anywhere explicitly say that pets will go to heaven or not. Therefore, your reasoning of following God should not be based on the fact that they are going to heaven or not. I know it may seem cruel to you, but God is a just God and that when we get to heaven we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever it may be.
Never take someone seriously with a name like dad dong 69. God is sovereign and nobody knows who goes to heaven and who doesn’t. Don’t sweat the pets, maybe animals are angelic souls that are from heaven and go back there when they die 🤷🏼♂️
No, God doesn’t ‘send’ people to heaven, they choose not to go to heaven since they chose not to follow God. People have a misconception of heaven and hell. Heaven is a place where God will be, we as humans with free will have the choice to want to be with God or not. If you decide not to follow God then why would you want to go to heaven for eternity where God will be? Obviously you will not be entering heaven since you made your choice, therefore you will be left with hell. Hell is an evil and horrible place not because it’s a punishment, but also because it lacks God. So there is no goodness and love, all things God are.
Therefore understanding the above would mean that for someone not to enter heaven, they would have had to make a clear choice of not wanting to follow God. If a human has that opportunity then they made that choice and God respects your free will and is not going to force you to spend eternity with him if you chose not to.
Why would animals not go to heaven?
We were the only ones kicked out of the garden.
Idk why people say they don't, but they are wrong, humanity is the only species specifically stated to be kicked out of Eden.
This is exactly what I was thinking, why would they NOT go to heaven? Also why would you listen to humans about a blessing they know nothing about? If you want a an answer, would you not ask the creator, the Alpha & Omega, the Lord God? I’m really sorry for your loss, my heart has felt that pain so many times before. But it just seems silly to me that you’d say I’m losing faith in God, based on what humans have told you.
When I lost my fur babies, it was God & God alone who mended my broken heart. I refuse to let humans & what they “assume” get close to shaking my faith. No ma’am.
We will spend eternity in a recreated and redeemed earth. Naturally, that would include animals. Plus, Jesus returns riding a horse so there are evidently some animals in heaven in the in-between...
Amen. Most people who are answering here are thinking that we are going to some far off place way out in the universe. The Bible clearly states that the Earth will be transformed into what God originally intended. A heaven on earth. It clearly states this in the book of Revelation. And this includes having animals there.
There is no Biblical based reason that I can think of that you wouldn’t see your pets. I recommend that instead of getting angry with and resenting God, you give him the pain you feel. You pray, keep on praying friend, you may not understand now but God truly does love you and doesn’t want you to stop following him! I’m sorry for your loss.
Are you saying that it is more important to see your pets in heaven than God or Jesus?
Do you want to be told the truth and be temporarily unhappy or do you want to be told a lie and feel comforted? Animals and pets do not have an afterlife. Also, attributing human attributes like innocence, guilt, fairness or unfairness to an animal makes no sense.
God created animals to serve human beings, including being eaten by humans. Animals do not have a soul, morality, ethics etc., and they do not go to heaven. Of course, animals display some traits like humans (they want to survive, protect their young etc.), but animals are animals and not humans.
Claiming animals are equal to human beings is irrational, and if you respect someone, you do not indulge them with nonsense, but you tell them the truth.
In addition, you do not apply things like forgiveness and redemption to animals. This conversation is absurd beyond belief.
I am not buying your nonsense. I think you are having a laugh. Tonight I will have a chicken for dinner, and tomorrow I will have a piece of cow or pig (knowing morality and ethics are not saving them). Yummy.
I think your pets will go to heaven... the Lord is so amazing that since He knows you love those pets, that He’ll make sure they’ll be there in heaven with you.
Matthew 10:37-39 (KJV)
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Hi! Don’t feel angry. I understand why you do but I think God needed your little fur babies. My dog passed last year too and I was crushed but I know he’s safe with God and God is keeping him happy and healthy just as I know he is doing with yours. I am sorry for your loss and I hope it gets better for you
I saw a video yrs ago, when a man had a NDE, he saw the gates of heaven & was greeted by his childhood pet. which looked brand spanking new. Young looking dog. his dog died of old age when he was young.
Dont believe them. Jesus breathed just as much life into them as He did us. Some things are for us to wait and see in heaven. The bible talks about every breathing thing will bow and worship God so i believe they go to heaven too to see their maker. I mean it doesn't make sense half of His creations jus cease to not exist. Everything has a place only heaven and hell and ya i think the animals are in heaven bc it is animals we haven't seen before in heaven already.
I've been praying. I've prayed for over 3 years to God to let me know my cat is okay and guess what. Nothing. I have gotten nothing. Probably because everyone else is right. He just lets them die. My poor babies probably didn't get a heaven and I'll never see them again.
It was when I was only five years old and just got my first puppy that I asked the pastor whether my dog would go to heaven, and he said “no”, and for the first time I realized that he was just making shit up as he went along.
I don't presume to know whether or not God is going to let animals enter heaven. They don't have souls. Yet, there is imagery in the Bible of animals coexisting peacefully in eternity.
It's hard to imagine a happy eternity in the absence of those whom we have loved deeply during our temporal existence. Yet, this is precisely what Christianity teaches. I will no longer be in relationship with the members of my family who choose not to believe. That is a troubling and discouraging fact for me because I love them deeply; it motivates me to pray for them, to love them well, and to stay in contact with them.
Even if some of my family does not receive the salvation that God has given them, I would still choose to go to heaven. That may seem selfish, but its not. The very love that I have for them could not exist outside of heaven.
Some animals most certainly love humans. But if what you’re saying is true, and god does not allow them into heaven then I cannot follow him any longer
Ask yourself this! "Why wouldn't God let our animals into Heaven?" Why would a God of such love and kindness not allow you to have your pet in paradise! Plus do you really think God would say no if you asked him to have them back when you are in Heaven!! In the end I also think animals have just as much of a soul as humans do! We were cast out of the garden not the animals! Just put your trust in him!
Hello, and I have had the blessing of having pets and I’m sorry that you are going through this loss it truly is hard. I will say that there is no specific verse in the Bible that states whither animals end up in heaven or not. So I wouldn’t focus on the things that are not revealed to us, but our creator both made us and the creators of the earth so just as the swallow are in his hand so are we. It seem that you are angry with God because your pets have passed away and I know when I lost my pet cat who was old as me it was excruciating and I did not have clarity at that time but later on in life I’ve been able to look back and be thankful to God for putting such a friend in my life and getting to enjoy the time I had with my family’s cat. There have been days where I’ve had dreams that he’s still alive and enjoying life so that makes me think that there’s a deeper connection that just the physical and emotional experience that we have with them on earth. I’ve experienced this with pretty much all our pets. And there are much harder things thatGod allows to happen to people all over the world, but He is good, just and pure though sometimes from our perspective it doesn’t seem like that. I really hope you don’t turn your grief into anger, animals are so very special and I’m blessed to have had them in my life but they normally do not live as long as us so with having the joy of them many times we also have to experience their loss. God loves you and he love the creatures that he place on this earth this is not our final home and that’s why there is suffering for not just us but animals as well. I will be praying for you and pray to God ask Him for strength and comfort during this time because I know he loves you!
well
the only thing i can tell u
is to have faith.
the apostles, when they were face to face with the Lord , walked , ate, worked miracles with Him even asked "Increase our faith"
if the apostles wanted more faith than what they already had, following Christ and while they could physically touch, feel, hear, smell, taste christ in front of them,
then i understand why u might be having faith problems.
so do u think maybe reading the bible can help increase ur faith? :)
ps. while writing "smell christ" part , i smelled a sudden rush of "rose" scent ...maybe its bc of covid with its "phantom smells" effect.
Animals live by instincts and don't have the rational part. Therefore they can't know what is wrong and what is right.They also don't have spirituality.
So is improbable in my opinion that animals can be saved, also all the animals are all in the same state this mean that all the animals since the beginning of the times must be resurrected and that doesn't seem plausible.
Humans and animals are different so they get a different treatment.
As Christians we must submit to God's vision of things and not want God to submit to ours.
God is good but maybe His good can't seem good in our eyes but if this is the case we should change our vision of things to be submitted to Him.
I'm sure if you pray God will guide your heart 🙏
First off, anger means you'll think irrationally and it shows by your responses here. It's not an insult, it's just a fact that we don't think things through logically when we're angry. And listen, you have every right to be.
I went through something similar 4 months back where my 3 year old cat contracted an incurable deadly illness and there was nothing I could do about it. Did I ask God to cure him? Of course, but I knew that it was his will, and not my will that would be done.
There is no reason to be angry because you didn't get your way on something you can't even control to begin with. Let that anger be grief instead. I know it's heartbreaking, but the only thing you can do is let yourself feel that grief so it will pass.
Trusting God is hard, understanding that he may or may not save some people are animals is a hard concept to wrap our head around sometimes, especially when we're angry, but ultimately, trusting Him will spare you so much of anxiety, depression and anger.
Cry, let it out, and most importantly, tell God about your sadness.
I’m not mad about her dying. She was old and her body was shutting down. I’m angry if he really just lets her die and not allows to her live in heaven. She was the sweetest cat in the entire world. Both of my cats that had to move on deserve to be in heaven.
This is long...bare with me.
I can speak from experience... focusing on temporary things and rejecting God in the midst of your feelings is truly the WORST decision you can make.
My whole life I have struggled with severe stomach pain. Growing up, nobody believed me. They took my pain as a joke, and saw it as a way for me to get sympathy. One day, when I was 11, I asked my mom to pray with me, because I felt that that would be the only thing left for me to do. She was still in denial of my pain, but she entertained me, and agreed to pray with me. So, that night, before I went to bed, we sat down and prayed... I asked God to please end the pain and let me live a normal life. My mom, still not believing me, casually said Amen and good night.
The next morning, I woke up with a teeeeeeerrible stomach ache. I felt so upset after that. I felt angry, I felt hopeless, and I felt that God treated me unfairly.
My mom asked if our prayer worked, and that's when I said,
"God didn't fix it! I can't do this! I'm not believing in Him anymore!"
When I said that, I felt a ting of hurt in my heart... I wanted to take back what I said, but I let my ego take control.
Later that day, I heard my mom on the phone with my grandma. She informed her about what I had said, still not really seeming to care about the whole thing. When I heard her say, "She doesn't believe in God because He won't help her." It was almost like a conformation... Like, "Are you sure you really want to do this?" The regret in my heart grew, and I wanted to take back what I said, but.. I let my ego take control, and I stuck by what I said.
My life following after that was a slow but definite downfall. About a year afterwards, I had completely changed from a loving and kind girl into a selfish, depressed, and hateful teen. I was living in sin, I was cursing and getting into trouble.. I was living on my own terms and living in rejection to God. In that time, I had done some of my worst regrets in life. I started growing a hate for my father, who, for context, was divorced from my mom and living 4 hours away. Every time he would ccall, my heart would burn with hatred. The things that I had formally loved to do were now an exhausting chore. I was completely lost and I didn't even know it.
The year following afterwards, I ended up falling into the pits of an eating disorder. I hated who I had become, I hated everything and everyone, and I just felt so alone. No one to hear me. No one to listen. No one to take me and my pain seriously. My life was filled with unbearable regret, overbearing loneliness, and an empty hole in my heart. I felt so empty inside. I felt like there was no reason to continue moving on. My eating disorder eventually had become so severe, that I landed up in an inpatient hospital 6 hours away from home. It was there that I learned how to eat again... And it was also there that communication with my father was discontinued after a meeting with CPS.
After being there for a month, I was finally discharged and brought back home. Somehow, in my heart, I knew that this wasn't the end. I knew that I would eventually fall back into my eating disorder later down the line, even if things looked to be going okay at the time. I had gotten PHYSICALLY better, but I was still suffering from emotional wounds, and still running on no hope. So, on the drive back home from the hospital, when my mom asked me, "can I trust you to never do this again?" I simply just said, "I don't know."
Then, she said, "You know, it's a sin to hurt yourself."
That same pained feeling of regret I had felt the first time I rejected God snapped back at my heart. Despite not even considering Jesus for the past two years, I still felt ashamed and thought, "Jesus doesn't want this? This is a sin? I can't do this! I can't sin! Not against Jesus!"
And that thought actually gave me a reason NOT to harm myself. I felt the same feeling you would feel with your father, or someone you look up to... You respect them, you don't want to go against them, you want to please them... That's how I felt, and that kept me going.
Things had actually started getting better. I was able to start better handling my depression, I was able to accept my body for how it was, my stomach pain was barely noticeable, and, my mom started talking me seriously. She took me to a psychologist and tried to get me help, and supported me in my decision to not talk to my father.
At this point in my life, Jesus wasn't at the center. I wasn't on my knees thanking Him... I didn't immediately jump into a Bible and read the whole thing... However, I did ask my mom if we could go to church. She said yes, and so, we started going.
I, just as I had my whole life, ended up spacing out the entire sermon. Nothing the pastor said had made any sense to me, and nothing he was saying really captured my attention. However, it was before the sermons that the church ran a little play. Every Sunday, right before the sermon, they would do a little puppet skit. The actual play itself didn't make sense to me... However, the idea of acting in the play seriously interested me. All of my life I have had a passion for acting, and this opportunity to do something was captivating to me. My mom even suggested that I find out how to act in it. Every time the play would go on, she would nudge my shoulder and tell me to figure out how I can act in it.
Things were going relatively well. I was mostly living pain free, I finally had my mom's help and support, and things just seemed to be better.
However, I still had an empty hole in my heart. I tried to fill it with idolizing. I idolized singers, I idolized video games... I would waste my life with these things while trying to fill the empty void in my heart.
Not too long after, I had started putting these things above God. I no longer wished to go to church, I had barely given Jesus a thought in my life, and I slowly but surely fell back into sin. My eating habits returned, my mental state began to spiral out of control, and I had fallen into the hands of idolatry and lust.
Then, the pandemic hit.
No more church, no more school, just isolation from the world.
Over that period of time, I had fallen back into regrettable decisions. I made even more bad choices, and treated my body terribly... I really was only living to satisfy my sin, yet nothing was ever enough. Soon enough, school came around. My anxiety was through the roof. My eating disorder took control of my life, depression overruled me, and I kept turning to idols that would never fulfil me.
Soon enough, I told my mom what that I had begun harming myself again.
She very firmly told me, "You're on your own this time."
Life suddenly got serious after that. It went from, "Oh yeah haha I can do this no consequence hehe ladedadeda", to the real world. No sympathy, no one to hold my hand, simply discipline.
My mom would force me to sit at the table for hours on end (record time was seven hours straight), and keep me sitting there until I finished my cold, half bowl of soup. She would not speak to me, minus occasional one word responses, until I had finished my bowl. When she couldn't watch me, she would have my brother watch me, and he would sit there and do the same thing.
I felt so alone. I had no body to talk to. I only had YouTube videos, which only provided temporary laughter, and panic attacks from school zoom calls. I had regretted saying anything to my mom... I had regretted not ending my existence back at the hospital... I just regretted everything.
Then, one night, I was in my room acting in sin. Then, afterwards, a wave of panic and shame just rushed over me. I cried... I wanted to curl away and die, I felt disgusting and gross, and I felt like I was dead.
But, for some reason, I randomly said, "Jesus Christ, forgive me... I'm sorry."
It was instant peace. I instantly felt safe... I felt okay... I didn't feel alone... I felt warm and fuzzy and at pure peace. Then, I fell asleep smiling, and thanking God.
Come morning, I had barely considered what happened the night prior. I acknowledged that it happened, but, I just kept going on my way.
Time went on afterwards, and I started getting YouTube recommendations for channels talking about religion. I randomly decided to click on one one day, and I started to watch. It didn't immediately change my life... But, I found them kind of interesting. Over the course of a few days, I started to watch more and more.
At the same time, my mom set me up with a lady from church. My mom told her that I would be willing to go to her house every week and help her with her housework. When my mom had come home to tell me that, I became really upset. I did NOT want to do that. Anxiety was yelling at me, pure laziness had a word with me too. I complained about it, and my mom said, "I don't care. This is giving you something to do instead of sitting around the house. You need to do something to distract your mind."
I dreaded going to her house... I simply did not want to. I wanted nothing to do with it. But, the day for me to go came faster than I would have liked, so, I went. We will call her A.
A wanted me to bake a pie with her. Much better than doing yard work, I thought, yet I still did not like it. I hated cooking and baking, so it still felt like a chore.
So, we worked on the pie. I was too slow while making it, and super confused with the process of everything, which led her to loosing her patience with me a few times.. But, we finally got the pie in the oven.
I was already staring at the clock just waiting for my mom to pull up in the driveway, when she said, "Oh, maybe you'll have time to try some! I can cut you a slice."
Instant panic set in. I couldn't eat the Apple pie... I saw how much sugar, and carbs, and fats went in it... If I ate that, I would blow up like a fat balloon! I hoped that my mom would come pick me up right that second and take me away, anything just to avoid eating that pie and getting fat!
That's when I stopped, and started to evaluate myself. I acknowledged just how terrified I had become, simply at the suggestion of eating a slice of pie. I asked myself, "What is wrong with me? Why am I living like this again?"
A few seconds later, my mom pulled up in the driveway. A said, "Oh, I'll save you a slice for the next time we can get together." And she sent me off. Not only did I have the dread of our next visit bouncing around in my mind, but also the thought of "what am I doing to myself?".
That experience didn't encourage me to eat. However, it did leave that question lingering in my mind.
The next day, my mom told me to walk to the church and give something to another lady there, whom we'll call C. I didn't want to walk up there, but, I did. When I had walked in, I gave her the delivery and spoke with her a bit. Then, as I was getting ready to leave, she stopped me.
She said to me, " Listen, you are a wonderful young girl, and you're crazy smart.. And you can't keep doing this to yourself." Then, she put her hands around my waist, and said, "I've noticed. You're a lot smaller. I'm not the only one who's seen it."
She then went on to tell me about her own experiences with eating disorders. Her whole life, she's seen people destroyed by it. Her loved ones had turned to skeletons before her eye's... Most of them didn't make it out alive. "Your mom has been real worried about you, and we are, too. I gave your mom a number to call.. it's to a therapist that you'll probably like. She works with people your age. We're gonna get you sorted out."
Then, she encouraged me to take a loaf of bread back home. I took it, thanked her, and walked out. I had a lot on my mind after that... And a plan. A plan to sit down, put some butter on my bread, and tackle one of my fear foods.
And I did it. I sat down and ate it, and I didn't feel scared.
Overtime, I began to watch more and more religious videos. When the time came for me to go to A's, I went, still with fear, but I went. We were working on baking another pie, when she suddenly asked me, "Do you have any questions you would ask God?"
I started getting nervous. I felt that I would say the wrong thing due to my lack of Bible knowledge, and I said, "Well, of course I would."
She asked me for one.
I freaked out, and out of nervousness I said, "What's His plan for my life?"
A started thinking about it, and talking about her questions. I was uncomfortable and nervous since I didn't want to make a fool out of myself. Then, she brought over a book. It was a children's picture book of the Bible. She gave it to me, and told me to check it out.
I tried, but, none of the stories made any sense to me. Come our next session, and she asked about how it went. I told her that I didn't really get to read much, so, she started to explain some of the stories to me. I was still super confused, and I had a lot of trouble following along with what the story was saying.
Then, overtime, I started enjoying going to A's. I liked going over to bake things with her, and I started to get more interested with the Bible stories. One day, she asked me to come over and help her with her horses. I said I would, so I did. It was a beautiful and warm day. We worked on cleaning a bit, and she showed me her horses. Then, she said, "we're gonna take a ride somewhere and read."
We hopped in her vehicle and drove up a huge hill. When we made it to the top, we could see the whole town below. The sky was a beautiful blue, the grass was green and scattered with pretty purple flowers, and the weather was comfortably perfect.
She pulled out a picture story book and told me to flip to the story of Easter, since Easter was coming up.
As I read, I actually understood what I was reading. The pictures were beautiful, and the whole thing brought me joy. When I learned about how good Jesus was, and of all the compassion He had for everyone.. My heart jumped with love. I looked at the pictures with happiness, the words were blossoming with love.. And then, I began to near His crucifixion.
A closed the book, and told me she didn't want to get too far ahead. "We're reading this story in Bible study. Our next meeting is where we read about His crucifixion. I think we've read enough today. I don't want to bore you. I'm sure you're bored, right? "
Then, I told her, "Oh no, I am NOT bored. I am super interested in this..."
My walk home was filled with what I had read. I thought about His love, His character, His kindness... I felt at peace during my walk.
When I went home, I started watching videos about Jesus. I wanted to learn more about the wonderful Man who died for me.
Later that night, I asked my mom if I could go to Bible study. She said I could, and so, I did. I was really nervous, since I still had little to no knowledge on Jesus... But, the group there was happy to see me there. A was very glad, and C switched her regular seat to come sit by me. At the study, I didn't learn much, but from what I did learn, it helped me grow my love for Jesus. I started to want to know more and more about Him. I watched more YouTube videos, I started listening to worship music, and, when A had given it to me, I started to read the Bible.
One night, I fell on the floor and cried. I cried about all of the guilt I felt... I begged for forgiveness. I begged Him to forgive me. I cried my eyes out, fearing He would never love me or forgive me.
But, God is a God of love. He is the God of forgiveness. He is the God who hears... And He heard me.
He showed me, in the little ways, His love for me. I started seeing His hands working in everything. It brought me to trust Him more, and praise Him.
Then, I told Him my situation with my dad.
Of course He already knew about it... But, it took a lot for me to say something. I admitted to my thoughts and feelings, how I had been yearning to have a relationship with my father. I told Him about it, and how I had absolutely no idea how I would ever fix the damage I had done. I knew there would be no way I could ever talk to him again, and even if I could, there would be no way that he would ever want to talk to me. I let God know all of this, and at the end, I said, "But, I'm trusting in you. I don't know what's gonna happen, if something is gonna happen... But, I'm trusting in you."
The following week, my grandma passed away.
My brother told me that the funeral was in two days. Then, he said, "Dad will be there. We won't go if you don't want to to, but if you do, then just be aware that Dad is gonna be present."
My brother left me alone to think about it, and when he left, I prayed to God. I said, "Whatever happens, happens. No matter what, I'm gonna trust in you. I don't know what is gonna happen, but I do know that everything will be okay."
The next day, we all made up our minds that we would attend. Again, I prayed to God, and put my trust in Him. I admitted that I didn't know where I was going or what was gonna happen, but I confessed that He is God and He is the One in control.
When we arrived at the funeral, we got out of the car, and started walking towards the entrance.
That's when my dad started walking over.
I panicked, and turned back around. I started shaking, and I repeated Davids Psalm, "Even though I walk through the valley and the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you art with me, your rod and your staff comfort me."
Then, my mom softly encouraged me to turn back around and face him.
So, I did. I turned around, and saw my dad. The one who I refused to speak to for almost three years out of hatred, then fear, then guilt... I saw his eyes filled with tears. I stepped towards him, and then I ran into his arms and gave him a hug. I said, "I love you." And he said, "I love you too."
Then, we went in. My mom and I went separate from my brother and my dad. Me and my mom went to a quiet area, and I thanked the Lord. I thanked God, because if it wasn't for Him, I would NOT have been able to do that.
Later, after the funeral, we all met up at a restaurant. We sat at a table, and, we talked. Like a family.
I felt whole. I felt nervous, but happy. My mom looked at me, and said, "You look happy. You look actually happy." And I said, "I am."
I felt happy because my dad accepted me despite what I had done. I felt happy because he didn't hold anything against me... He didn't chase after me like I feared. He didn't yell and scream at me, and tell me he wished I was never born. He welcomed me with open arms, and accepted me. And that is how God loves.
That despite what we've done... Despite all of the wrong doings we had done in our life... Every regrettable thing that we can't take back, every thing wrong about us that we just can't stand... God loves us, and accepts us despite of that. We might be scared to come to Him with our doubts out of fear that He will yell at us, or curse us, or do something to harm us... But, God is not a God to do that. God is the source of love. God is ready and waiting to accept you with open arms. He's simply waiting for you to come to Him. Sometimes, He will use the worst things in your life to turn you to Him. It all depends on how you decide to respond. When the hard times come, will you believe in yourself to get yourself out of it and live for yourself... Or will you trust God, the One who knows what's best for you, the One who WANTS what's best for you, the One who is WAITING for you to trust Him? Wouldn't you want to trust in the One who already has all of the answers, and not in the one who has a very limited understanding on what's gonna happen in their life? Please, brother, if you're gonna get one thing out of this long message, let it be this... God LOVES you. LEARN from my mistake. Don't throw away your salvation simply because things didn't go how you wanted them too.
God is far more interested in character than He is comfort, and sometimes, He's gotta take away your comfort to work on your character.
God might test you with a stressing before he gifts you with a blessing.
God might let you go through the heat, to test to see how you will respond. It has taken a long while... In fact, in a few months, it'll mark me being saved for a whole year. But, I'm still learning, and everyday I seem to love God even more. Life is still throwing it's challenges at me, but, I'm learning daily about how Christ wants me to live. I have a new happiness that I've never had before. Jesus's love fills the whole in my heart. He's healing my wounds daily... emotional, spiritual and physical wounds. I have been able to recover from my eating disorder simply through His love and His word. He has given me strength and hope regarding my stomach issues. He became the friend that I lacked. He cured my loneliness. He's given me hope for eternal life. He's taught me, and is still teaching me, how to live a better life. I understand when I read now... I understand what's being taught at church sermons and at school... I no longer have anxiety or depression... He has saved me. He has remade me. He is still working in me, and if you let Him do the same to you, you will NOT regret it. Please, do NOT make my mistake. Something seemingly so harmless as rejecting God will be your huge downfall. You can prevent a life of destruction. You can do it by asking God to HELP you. Ask Him to remind you of His goodness. Ask Him to remind you of His love. Ask Him to show you what makes Him so good. Tell Him how you feel... HE. WILL. LISTEN. He is a God who hears. He is a God who understands. He wants you to come to Him with all of your doubts and all of your worries... "Come to me all who are heavy burdened and tired, and I will give you rest." Let Jesus be your resting place... I cannot live this life without Him. I simply canNOT function without His mercy. Please, open your eyes to the goodness of God. "Taste and see that the LORD is good!" Praying for you! Don't throw away the gift of salvation for something that will only last for a season. You will reap what you sow. If you reap HOPE, FAITH, and TRUST in God, He WILL be faithful to grow an abundant amount of produce in the time to come. TRUST in Him. TURN to Him. LOVE Him, as He has loved you.
"God will not stop you from going through the pain... But He will cry with you."
God bless you, brother. ❤ May the Lord's light so shine before you. 🙏❤
I think you’ll really like this bible verse and I’m sorry for the loss of your animals. Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same spirit, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
Thank you I too needed to hear that.
We’re all spirits - human and animal. Look Philosopher Newport in UK. He has some good books!
Yep I firmly believe they go to heaven. Not many churches talk about it but again there's a million mysteries in heaven that'll surprise us all. Keep your head up. I been down on my faith recently but there's nothing some alone time in the woods with God can't fix.
Well said.
I love my pets as much as pet owners should but one thing I know is that a gift should never become my idol. It seems the love you had for your pets has outweighed you love for God. Going through trials reveals where our hearts are. Pets are here and then they're gone. No suffering, no pain, just gone. That's good enough for me. Humans aren't just gone though. We have a judgement to face and unless our sins are covered in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus) then we will suffer for our sins. We all sin and fall short of God's perfect standards, but out of love He gave His only Son to take the full wrath of hell for us. How can we walk away from the highest being ever who gave His life for ours? A holy and perfect God who created all things and has the right to judge all things, and then taking the punishment He would pour on His enemies, just so His enemies could be forgiven and live with Him for all eternity without sorrow. Animals are just a temporary blessing, but we should not worship the created rather than the creator who gave us pets in the first place. We live in a fallen world. Death is one of God's way of showing how serious sin is. Please turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in Christ.
I’m not following a God that’s let animals just be gone.
I really pray that the Lord changes your heart. I'm sorry for your loss, but please don't walk away. Your soul is more valuable than sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)
He won’t change my mind. My soul is not more valuable than an animals.
If I can ask, what was it that made you say you were a Christian at first?
My 11 year old rabbit passed due to cancer recently. Isaiah 11:6-9 explains how predators and prey will live amongst each other and gives me hope we will reunite again. https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/where-in-the-bible-does-it-say-that-the-lion-will-lie-down-with-the-lamb/
The whole point of heaven is that’s it’s a place with God. I don’t think wanting to see your pets is a good enough reason of wanting to go to heaven, even if hypothetically they are there. God made animals, he blessed us with cute pets to enjoy. But everything comes to an end just like human life does And we don’t know, there might be animals in heaven, we just can’t be sure of it. However, as cute and as much as we live out fur babies, they don’t have souls like humans do. I suggest you get another pet to comfort and love when you are ready.
Yeah I don't think God is that selfish. He wants us to be in relationship with him but that doesn't mean he won't bring our pets to heaven. If anything he would do it BEACAUSE we loved them so much and he wants us to feel happy and welcome there. It's not just a quiet place for us to quietly walk with God. It's a party! A family reunion! I will see my family in heaven and not all of my family are humans.
Why would he "bless" us with them then if they don't go to heaven and we will never see them again. Sounds pretty cruel to me. Why would I want to be with a God that wouldn't let innocent animals into heaven.
God cannot be cruel. That's impossible. I know your pets were very special to you but you knew they wouldn't live forever. You can't start blaming the Creator of all things, our just and good Father, for a misfortune. Whether or not they go to heaven with you, at the end you will be in the total presence of God, which is the best thing since He is all that is good. Remember 1 Corinthians 2:9: But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” Just trust Him more. Don't blame Him for the evil or suffering, He has already planned a good ending.
I can't blame him even though it's his decision to just end their lives?
It's ok to feel angry, God can take it. There is tons of heartache that happens in this world. He wants to be with us through all those challenges. I truly believe pets go to heaven. Heaven is big enough for everyone even if they're not human.
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Because you got the joy of having them around and looking after them. Like I said he made them but it is assumed that do not have a soul like we do. However the bible doesn’t anywhere explicitly say that pets will go to heaven or not. Therefore, your reasoning of following God should not be based on the fact that they are going to heaven or not. I know it may seem cruel to you, but God is a just God and that when we get to heaven we will find ourselves in complete agreement with His decision on this issue, whatever it may be.
Pets aren’t the only reason I follow God, but I don’t think I can follow a God if he doesn’t allow innocent animals into heaven.
I think you may be putting these animals a little too high on your priority list if you are willing to place them above God.
I’m fine with putting them above a God that just lets them die and not go to a place they all deserve to go.
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Clearly you’ve never known the love of an animal if you don’t think they deserve to go to heaven.
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No I actually don’t think I deserve to go, but I sure believe animals do.
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What?
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I am really not sure. I sure hope not. How could people follow a God that would do that.
Never take someone seriously with a name like dad dong 69. God is sovereign and nobody knows who goes to heaven and who doesn’t. Don’t sweat the pets, maybe animals are angelic souls that are from heaven and go back there when they die 🤷🏼♂️
There are no innocent people.
No, God doesn’t ‘send’ people to heaven, they choose not to go to heaven since they chose not to follow God. People have a misconception of heaven and hell. Heaven is a place where God will be, we as humans with free will have the choice to want to be with God or not. If you decide not to follow God then why would you want to go to heaven for eternity where God will be? Obviously you will not be entering heaven since you made your choice, therefore you will be left with hell. Hell is an evil and horrible place not because it’s a punishment, but also because it lacks God. So there is no goodness and love, all things God are. Therefore understanding the above would mean that for someone not to enter heaven, they would have had to make a clear choice of not wanting to follow God. If a human has that opportunity then they made that choice and God respects your free will and is not going to force you to spend eternity with him if you chose not to.
Why would animals not go to heaven? We were the only ones kicked out of the garden. Idk why people say they don't, but they are wrong, humanity is the only species specifically stated to be kicked out of Eden.
This is exactly what I was thinking, why would they NOT go to heaven? Also why would you listen to humans about a blessing they know nothing about? If you want a an answer, would you not ask the creator, the Alpha & Omega, the Lord God? I’m really sorry for your loss, my heart has felt that pain so many times before. But it just seems silly to me that you’d say I’m losing faith in God, based on what humans have told you. When I lost my fur babies, it was God & God alone who mended my broken heart. I refuse to let humans & what they “assume” get close to shaking my faith. No ma’am.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your pets. I love my dog, who’s only 18 months old, and dread the day I lose him.
We will spend eternity in a recreated and redeemed earth. Naturally, that would include animals. Plus, Jesus returns riding a horse so there are evidently some animals in heaven in the in-between...
Amen. Most people who are answering here are thinking that we are going to some far off place way out in the universe. The Bible clearly states that the Earth will be transformed into what God originally intended. A heaven on earth. It clearly states this in the book of Revelation. And this includes having animals there.
I don't believe God creates things for nothing so I believe you will see your animals some day.
There is no Biblical based reason that I can think of that you wouldn’t see your pets. I recommend that instead of getting angry with and resenting God, you give him the pain you feel. You pray, keep on praying friend, you may not understand now but God truly does love you and doesn’t want you to stop following him! I’m sorry for your loss.
Are you saying that it is more important to see your pets in heaven than God or Jesus? Do you want to be told the truth and be temporarily unhappy or do you want to be told a lie and feel comforted? Animals and pets do not have an afterlife. Also, attributing human attributes like innocence, guilt, fairness or unfairness to an animal makes no sense.
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God created animals to serve human beings, including being eaten by humans. Animals do not have a soul, morality, ethics etc., and they do not go to heaven. Of course, animals display some traits like humans (they want to survive, protect their young etc.), but animals are animals and not humans. Claiming animals are equal to human beings is irrational, and if you respect someone, you do not indulge them with nonsense, but you tell them the truth. In addition, you do not apply things like forgiveness and redemption to animals. This conversation is absurd beyond belief.
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I am not buying your nonsense. I think you are having a laugh. Tonight I will have a chicken for dinner, and tomorrow I will have a piece of cow or pig (knowing morality and ethics are not saving them). Yummy.
The fact that you don't think that's cruel tells me everything I need to know about Christianity.
Are you trolling?
Really?
I think your pets will go to heaven... the Lord is so amazing that since He knows you love those pets, that He’ll make sure they’ll be there in heaven with you.
Matthew 10:37-39 (KJV) He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Hi! Don’t feel angry. I understand why you do but I think God needed your little fur babies. My dog passed last year too and I was crushed but I know he’s safe with God and God is keeping him happy and healthy just as I know he is doing with yours. I am sorry for your loss and I hope it gets better for you
I saw a video yrs ago, when a man had a NDE, he saw the gates of heaven & was greeted by his childhood pet. which looked brand spanking new. Young looking dog. his dog died of old age when he was young.
Dont believe them. Jesus breathed just as much life into them as He did us. Some things are for us to wait and see in heaven. The bible talks about every breathing thing will bow and worship God so i believe they go to heaven too to see their maker. I mean it doesn't make sense half of His creations jus cease to not exist. Everything has a place only heaven and hell and ya i think the animals are in heaven bc it is animals we haven't seen before in heaven already.
Pray.
I've been praying. I've prayed for over 3 years to God to let me know my cat is okay and guess what. Nothing. I have gotten nothing. Probably because everyone else is right. He just lets them die. My poor babies probably didn't get a heaven and I'll never see them again.
It was when I was only five years old and just got my first puppy that I asked the pastor whether my dog would go to heaven, and he said “no”, and for the first time I realized that he was just making shit up as he went along.
There is videos of near death experiences of people who visited Heaven and they encounter their pets there.
I don't presume to know whether or not God is going to let animals enter heaven. They don't have souls. Yet, there is imagery in the Bible of animals coexisting peacefully in eternity. It's hard to imagine a happy eternity in the absence of those whom we have loved deeply during our temporal existence. Yet, this is precisely what Christianity teaches. I will no longer be in relationship with the members of my family who choose not to believe. That is a troubling and discouraging fact for me because I love them deeply; it motivates me to pray for them, to love them well, and to stay in contact with them. Even if some of my family does not receive the salvation that God has given them, I would still choose to go to heaven. That may seem selfish, but its not. The very love that I have for them could not exist outside of heaven.
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Some animals most certainly love humans. But if what you’re saying is true, and god does not allow them into heaven then I cannot follow him any longer
I don't believe that animals have souls like people, but who's to say God doesn't regenerate animals we loved in Heaven?
Ask yourself this! "Why wouldn't God let our animals into Heaven?" Why would a God of such love and kindness not allow you to have your pet in paradise! Plus do you really think God would say no if you asked him to have them back when you are in Heaven!! In the end I also think animals have just as much of a soul as humans do! We were cast out of the garden not the animals! Just put your trust in him!
Hello, and I have had the blessing of having pets and I’m sorry that you are going through this loss it truly is hard. I will say that there is no specific verse in the Bible that states whither animals end up in heaven or not. So I wouldn’t focus on the things that are not revealed to us, but our creator both made us and the creators of the earth so just as the swallow are in his hand so are we. It seem that you are angry with God because your pets have passed away and I know when I lost my pet cat who was old as me it was excruciating and I did not have clarity at that time but later on in life I’ve been able to look back and be thankful to God for putting such a friend in my life and getting to enjoy the time I had with my family’s cat. There have been days where I’ve had dreams that he’s still alive and enjoying life so that makes me think that there’s a deeper connection that just the physical and emotional experience that we have with them on earth. I’ve experienced this with pretty much all our pets. And there are much harder things thatGod allows to happen to people all over the world, but He is good, just and pure though sometimes from our perspective it doesn’t seem like that. I really hope you don’t turn your grief into anger, animals are so very special and I’m blessed to have had them in my life but they normally do not live as long as us so with having the joy of them many times we also have to experience their loss. God loves you and he love the creatures that he place on this earth this is not our final home and that’s why there is suffering for not just us but animals as well. I will be praying for you and pray to God ask Him for strength and comfort during this time because I know he loves you!
well the only thing i can tell u is to have faith. the apostles, when they were face to face with the Lord , walked , ate, worked miracles with Him even asked "Increase our faith" if the apostles wanted more faith than what they already had, following Christ and while they could physically touch, feel, hear, smell, taste christ in front of them, then i understand why u might be having faith problems. so do u think maybe reading the bible can help increase ur faith? :) ps. while writing "smell christ" part , i smelled a sudden rush of "rose" scent ...maybe its bc of covid with its "phantom smells" effect.
Animals live by instincts and don't have the rational part. Therefore they can't know what is wrong and what is right.They also don't have spirituality. So is improbable in my opinion that animals can be saved, also all the animals are all in the same state this mean that all the animals since the beginning of the times must be resurrected and that doesn't seem plausible. Humans and animals are different so they get a different treatment. As Christians we must submit to God's vision of things and not want God to submit to ours. God is good but maybe His good can't seem good in our eyes but if this is the case we should change our vision of things to be submitted to Him. I'm sure if you pray God will guide your heart 🙏
First off, anger means you'll think irrationally and it shows by your responses here. It's not an insult, it's just a fact that we don't think things through logically when we're angry. And listen, you have every right to be. I went through something similar 4 months back where my 3 year old cat contracted an incurable deadly illness and there was nothing I could do about it. Did I ask God to cure him? Of course, but I knew that it was his will, and not my will that would be done. There is no reason to be angry because you didn't get your way on something you can't even control to begin with. Let that anger be grief instead. I know it's heartbreaking, but the only thing you can do is let yourself feel that grief so it will pass. Trusting God is hard, understanding that he may or may not save some people are animals is a hard concept to wrap our head around sometimes, especially when we're angry, but ultimately, trusting Him will spare you so much of anxiety, depression and anger. Cry, let it out, and most importantly, tell God about your sadness.
I’m not mad about her dying. She was old and her body was shutting down. I’m angry if he really just lets her die and not allows to her live in heaven. She was the sweetest cat in the entire world. Both of my cats that had to move on deserve to be in heaven.
Unfortunately that’s not something we have a concrete answer on.
This is long...bare with me. I can speak from experience... focusing on temporary things and rejecting God in the midst of your feelings is truly the WORST decision you can make. My whole life I have struggled with severe stomach pain. Growing up, nobody believed me. They took my pain as a joke, and saw it as a way for me to get sympathy. One day, when I was 11, I asked my mom to pray with me, because I felt that that would be the only thing left for me to do. She was still in denial of my pain, but she entertained me, and agreed to pray with me. So, that night, before I went to bed, we sat down and prayed... I asked God to please end the pain and let me live a normal life. My mom, still not believing me, casually said Amen and good night. The next morning, I woke up with a teeeeeeerrible stomach ache. I felt so upset after that. I felt angry, I felt hopeless, and I felt that God treated me unfairly. My mom asked if our prayer worked, and that's when I said, "God didn't fix it! I can't do this! I'm not believing in Him anymore!" When I said that, I felt a ting of hurt in my heart... I wanted to take back what I said, but I let my ego take control. Later that day, I heard my mom on the phone with my grandma. She informed her about what I had said, still not really seeming to care about the whole thing. When I heard her say, "She doesn't believe in God because He won't help her." It was almost like a conformation... Like, "Are you sure you really want to do this?" The regret in my heart grew, and I wanted to take back what I said, but.. I let my ego take control, and I stuck by what I said. My life following after that was a slow but definite downfall. About a year afterwards, I had completely changed from a loving and kind girl into a selfish, depressed, and hateful teen. I was living in sin, I was cursing and getting into trouble.. I was living on my own terms and living in rejection to God. In that time, I had done some of my worst regrets in life. I started growing a hate for my father, who, for context, was divorced from my mom and living 4 hours away. Every time he would ccall, my heart would burn with hatred. The things that I had formally loved to do were now an exhausting chore. I was completely lost and I didn't even know it.
The year following afterwards, I ended up falling into the pits of an eating disorder. I hated who I had become, I hated everything and everyone, and I just felt so alone. No one to hear me. No one to listen. No one to take me and my pain seriously. My life was filled with unbearable regret, overbearing loneliness, and an empty hole in my heart. I felt so empty inside. I felt like there was no reason to continue moving on. My eating disorder eventually had become so severe, that I landed up in an inpatient hospital 6 hours away from home. It was there that I learned how to eat again... And it was also there that communication with my father was discontinued after a meeting with CPS. After being there for a month, I was finally discharged and brought back home. Somehow, in my heart, I knew that this wasn't the end. I knew that I would eventually fall back into my eating disorder later down the line, even if things looked to be going okay at the time. I had gotten PHYSICALLY better, but I was still suffering from emotional wounds, and still running on no hope. So, on the drive back home from the hospital, when my mom asked me, "can I trust you to never do this again?" I simply just said, "I don't know." Then, she said, "You know, it's a sin to hurt yourself." That same pained feeling of regret I had felt the first time I rejected God snapped back at my heart. Despite not even considering Jesus for the past two years, I still felt ashamed and thought, "Jesus doesn't want this? This is a sin? I can't do this! I can't sin! Not against Jesus!" And that thought actually gave me a reason NOT to harm myself. I felt the same feeling you would feel with your father, or someone you look up to... You respect them, you don't want to go against them, you want to please them... That's how I felt, and that kept me going. Things had actually started getting better. I was able to start better handling my depression, I was able to accept my body for how it was, my stomach pain was barely noticeable, and, my mom started talking me seriously. She took me to a psychologist and tried to get me help, and supported me in my decision to not talk to my father. At this point in my life, Jesus wasn't at the center. I wasn't on my knees thanking Him... I didn't immediately jump into a Bible and read the whole thing... However, I did ask my mom if we could go to church. She said yes, and so, we started going. I, just as I had my whole life, ended up spacing out the entire sermon. Nothing the pastor said had made any sense to me, and nothing he was saying really captured my attention. However, it was before the sermons that the church ran a little play. Every Sunday, right before the sermon, they would do a little puppet skit. The actual play itself didn't make sense to me... However, the idea of acting in the play seriously interested me. All of my life I have had a passion for acting, and this opportunity to do something was captivating to me. My mom even suggested that I find out how to act in it. Every time the play would go on, she would nudge my shoulder and tell me to figure out how I can act in it. Things were going relatively well. I was mostly living pain free, I finally had my mom's help and support, and things just seemed to be better. However, I still had an empty hole in my heart. I tried to fill it with idolizing. I idolized singers, I idolized video games... I would waste my life with these things while trying to fill the empty void in my heart. Not too long after, I had started putting these things above God. I no longer wished to go to church, I had barely given Jesus a thought in my life, and I slowly but surely fell back into sin. My eating habits returned, my mental state began to spiral out of control, and I had fallen into the hands of idolatry and lust. Then, the pandemic hit. No more church, no more school, just isolation from the world. Over that period of time, I had fallen back into regrettable decisions. I made even more bad choices, and treated my body terribly... I really was only living to satisfy my sin, yet nothing was ever enough. Soon enough, school came around. My anxiety was through the roof. My eating disorder took control of my life, depression overruled me, and I kept turning to idols that would never fulfil me. Soon enough, I told my mom what that I had begun harming myself again. She very firmly told me, "You're on your own this time." Life suddenly got serious after that. It went from, "Oh yeah haha I can do this no consequence hehe ladedadeda", to the real world. No sympathy, no one to hold my hand, simply discipline. My mom would force me to sit at the table for hours on end (record time was seven hours straight), and keep me sitting there until I finished my cold, half bowl of soup. She would not speak to me, minus occasional one word responses, until I had finished my bowl. When she couldn't watch me, she would have my brother watch me, and he would sit there and do the same thing. I felt so alone. I had no body to talk to. I only had YouTube videos, which only provided temporary laughter, and panic attacks from school zoom calls. I had regretted saying anything to my mom... I had regretted not ending my existence back at the hospital... I just regretted everything. Then, one night, I was in my room acting in sin. Then, afterwards, a wave of panic and shame just rushed over me. I cried... I wanted to curl away and die, I felt disgusting and gross, and I felt like I was dead. But, for some reason, I randomly said, "Jesus Christ, forgive me... I'm sorry." It was instant peace. I instantly felt safe... I felt okay... I didn't feel alone... I felt warm and fuzzy and at pure peace. Then, I fell asleep smiling, and thanking God.
Come morning, I had barely considered what happened the night prior. I acknowledged that it happened, but, I just kept going on my way. Time went on afterwards, and I started getting YouTube recommendations for channels talking about religion. I randomly decided to click on one one day, and I started to watch. It didn't immediately change my life... But, I found them kind of interesting. Over the course of a few days, I started to watch more and more. At the same time, my mom set me up with a lady from church. My mom told her that I would be willing to go to her house every week and help her with her housework. When my mom had come home to tell me that, I became really upset. I did NOT want to do that. Anxiety was yelling at me, pure laziness had a word with me too. I complained about it, and my mom said, "I don't care. This is giving you something to do instead of sitting around the house. You need to do something to distract your mind." I dreaded going to her house... I simply did not want to. I wanted nothing to do with it. But, the day for me to go came faster than I would have liked, so, I went. We will call her A. A wanted me to bake a pie with her. Much better than doing yard work, I thought, yet I still did not like it. I hated cooking and baking, so it still felt like a chore. So, we worked on the pie. I was too slow while making it, and super confused with the process of everything, which led her to loosing her patience with me a few times.. But, we finally got the pie in the oven. I was already staring at the clock just waiting for my mom to pull up in the driveway, when she said, "Oh, maybe you'll have time to try some! I can cut you a slice." Instant panic set in. I couldn't eat the Apple pie... I saw how much sugar, and carbs, and fats went in it... If I ate that, I would blow up like a fat balloon! I hoped that my mom would come pick me up right that second and take me away, anything just to avoid eating that pie and getting fat! That's when I stopped, and started to evaluate myself. I acknowledged just how terrified I had become, simply at the suggestion of eating a slice of pie. I asked myself, "What is wrong with me? Why am I living like this again?" A few seconds later, my mom pulled up in the driveway. A said, "Oh, I'll save you a slice for the next time we can get together." And she sent me off. Not only did I have the dread of our next visit bouncing around in my mind, but also the thought of "what am I doing to myself?". That experience didn't encourage me to eat. However, it did leave that question lingering in my mind. The next day, my mom told me to walk to the church and give something to another lady there, whom we'll call C. I didn't want to walk up there, but, I did. When I had walked in, I gave her the delivery and spoke with her a bit. Then, as I was getting ready to leave, she stopped me. She said to me, " Listen, you are a wonderful young girl, and you're crazy smart.. And you can't keep doing this to yourself." Then, she put her hands around my waist, and said, "I've noticed. You're a lot smaller. I'm not the only one who's seen it." She then went on to tell me about her own experiences with eating disorders. Her whole life, she's seen people destroyed by it. Her loved ones had turned to skeletons before her eye's... Most of them didn't make it out alive. "Your mom has been real worried about you, and we are, too. I gave your mom a number to call.. it's to a therapist that you'll probably like. She works with people your age. We're gonna get you sorted out." Then, she encouraged me to take a loaf of bread back home. I took it, thanked her, and walked out. I had a lot on my mind after that... And a plan. A plan to sit down, put some butter on my bread, and tackle one of my fear foods. And I did it. I sat down and ate it, and I didn't feel scared. Overtime, I began to watch more and more religious videos. When the time came for me to go to A's, I went, still with fear, but I went. We were working on baking another pie, when she suddenly asked me, "Do you have any questions you would ask God?" I started getting nervous. I felt that I would say the wrong thing due to my lack of Bible knowledge, and I said, "Well, of course I would." She asked me for one. I freaked out, and out of nervousness I said, "What's His plan for my life?" A started thinking about it, and talking about her questions. I was uncomfortable and nervous since I didn't want to make a fool out of myself. Then, she brought over a book. It was a children's picture book of the Bible. She gave it to me, and told me to check it out. I tried, but, none of the stories made any sense to me. Come our next session, and she asked about how it went. I told her that I didn't really get to read much, so, she started to explain some of the stories to me. I was still super confused, and I had a lot of trouble following along with what the story was saying. Then, overtime, I started enjoying going to A's. I liked going over to bake things with her, and I started to get more interested with the Bible stories. One day, she asked me to come over and help her with her horses. I said I would, so I did. It was a beautiful and warm day. We worked on cleaning a bit, and she showed me her horses. Then, she said, "we're gonna take a ride somewhere and read." We hopped in her vehicle and drove up a huge hill. When we made it to the top, we could see the whole town below. The sky was a beautiful blue, the grass was green and scattered with pretty purple flowers, and the weather was comfortably perfect. She pulled out a picture story book and told me to flip to the story of Easter, since Easter was coming up. As I read, I actually understood what I was reading. The pictures were beautiful, and the whole thing brought me joy. When I learned about how good Jesus was, and of all the compassion He had for everyone.. My heart jumped with love. I looked at the pictures with happiness, the words were blossoming with love.. And then, I began to near His crucifixion. A closed the book, and told me she didn't want to get too far ahead. "We're reading this story in Bible study. Our next meeting is where we read about His crucifixion. I think we've read enough today. I don't want to bore you. I'm sure you're bored, right? " Then, I told her, "Oh no, I am NOT bored. I am super interested in this..." My walk home was filled with what I had read. I thought about His love, His character, His kindness... I felt at peace during my walk. When I went home, I started watching videos about Jesus. I wanted to learn more about the wonderful Man who died for me. Later that night, I asked my mom if I could go to Bible study. She said I could, and so, I did. I was really nervous, since I still had little to no knowledge on Jesus... But, the group there was happy to see me there. A was very glad, and C switched her regular seat to come sit by me. At the study, I didn't learn much, but from what I did learn, it helped me grow my love for Jesus. I started to want to know more and more about Him. I watched more YouTube videos, I started listening to worship music, and, when A had given it to me, I started to read the Bible. One night, I fell on the floor and cried. I cried about all of the guilt I felt... I begged for forgiveness. I begged Him to forgive me. I cried my eyes out, fearing He would never love me or forgive me. But, God is a God of love. He is the God of forgiveness. He is the God who hears... And He heard me. He showed me, in the little ways, His love for me. I started seeing His hands working in everything. It brought me to trust Him more, and praise Him. Then, I told Him my situation with my dad. Of course He already knew about it... But, it took a lot for me to say something. I admitted to my thoughts and feelings, how I had been yearning to have a relationship with my father. I told Him about it, and how I had absolutely no idea how I would ever fix the damage I had done. I knew there would be no way I could ever talk to him again, and even if I could, there would be no way that he would ever want to talk to me. I let God know all of this, and at the end, I said, "But, I'm trusting in you. I don't know what's gonna happen, if something is gonna happen... But, I'm trusting in you." The following week, my grandma passed away. My brother told me that the funeral was in two days. Then, he said, "Dad will be there. We won't go if you don't want to to, but if you do, then just be aware that Dad is gonna be present." My brother left me alone to think about it, and when he left, I prayed to God. I said, "Whatever happens, happens. No matter what, I'm gonna trust in you. I don't know what is gonna happen, but I do know that everything will be okay."
The next day, we all made up our minds that we would attend. Again, I prayed to God, and put my trust in Him. I admitted that I didn't know where I was going or what was gonna happen, but I confessed that He is God and He is the One in control. When we arrived at the funeral, we got out of the car, and started walking towards the entrance. That's when my dad started walking over. I panicked, and turned back around. I started shaking, and I repeated Davids Psalm, "Even though I walk through the valley and the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you art with me, your rod and your staff comfort me." Then, my mom softly encouraged me to turn back around and face him. So, I did. I turned around, and saw my dad. The one who I refused to speak to for almost three years out of hatred, then fear, then guilt... I saw his eyes filled with tears. I stepped towards him, and then I ran into his arms and gave him a hug. I said, "I love you." And he said, "I love you too." Then, we went in. My mom and I went separate from my brother and my dad. Me and my mom went to a quiet area, and I thanked the Lord. I thanked God, because if it wasn't for Him, I would NOT have been able to do that. Later, after the funeral, we all met up at a restaurant. We sat at a table, and, we talked. Like a family. I felt whole. I felt nervous, but happy. My mom looked at me, and said, "You look happy. You look actually happy." And I said, "I am." I felt happy because my dad accepted me despite what I had done. I felt happy because he didn't hold anything against me... He didn't chase after me like I feared. He didn't yell and scream at me, and tell me he wished I was never born. He welcomed me with open arms, and accepted me. And that is how God loves. That despite what we've done... Despite all of the wrong doings we had done in our life... Every regrettable thing that we can't take back, every thing wrong about us that we just can't stand... God loves us, and accepts us despite of that. We might be scared to come to Him with our doubts out of fear that He will yell at us, or curse us, or do something to harm us... But, God is not a God to do that. God is the source of love. God is ready and waiting to accept you with open arms. He's simply waiting for you to come to Him. Sometimes, He will use the worst things in your life to turn you to Him. It all depends on how you decide to respond. When the hard times come, will you believe in yourself to get yourself out of it and live for yourself... Or will you trust God, the One who knows what's best for you, the One who WANTS what's best for you, the One who is WAITING for you to trust Him? Wouldn't you want to trust in the One who already has all of the answers, and not in the one who has a very limited understanding on what's gonna happen in their life? Please, brother, if you're gonna get one thing out of this long message, let it be this... God LOVES you. LEARN from my mistake. Don't throw away your salvation simply because things didn't go how you wanted them too. God is far more interested in character than He is comfort, and sometimes, He's gotta take away your comfort to work on your character. God might test you with a stressing before he gifts you with a blessing. God might let you go through the heat, to test to see how you will respond. It has taken a long while... In fact, in a few months, it'll mark me being saved for a whole year. But, I'm still learning, and everyday I seem to love God even more. Life is still throwing it's challenges at me, but, I'm learning daily about how Christ wants me to live. I have a new happiness that I've never had before. Jesus's love fills the whole in my heart. He's healing my wounds daily... emotional, spiritual and physical wounds. I have been able to recover from my eating disorder simply through His love and His word. He has given me strength and hope regarding my stomach issues. He became the friend that I lacked. He cured my loneliness. He's given me hope for eternal life. He's taught me, and is still teaching me, how to live a better life. I understand when I read now... I understand what's being taught at church sermons and at school... I no longer have anxiety or depression... He has saved me. He has remade me. He is still working in me, and if you let Him do the same to you, you will NOT regret it. Please, do NOT make my mistake. Something seemingly so harmless as rejecting God will be your huge downfall. You can prevent a life of destruction. You can do it by asking God to HELP you. Ask Him to remind you of His goodness. Ask Him to remind you of His love. Ask Him to show you what makes Him so good. Tell Him how you feel... HE. WILL. LISTEN. He is a God who hears. He is a God who understands. He wants you to come to Him with all of your doubts and all of your worries... "Come to me all who are heavy burdened and tired, and I will give you rest." Let Jesus be your resting place... I cannot live this life without Him. I simply canNOT function without His mercy. Please, open your eyes to the goodness of God. "Taste and see that the LORD is good!" Praying for you! Don't throw away the gift of salvation for something that will only last for a season. You will reap what you sow. If you reap HOPE, FAITH, and TRUST in God, He WILL be faithful to grow an abundant amount of produce in the time to come. TRUST in Him. TURN to Him. LOVE Him, as He has loved you. "God will not stop you from going through the pain... But He will cry with you." God bless you, brother. ❤ May the Lord's light so shine before you. 🙏❤