The Eyes of God

by George Anderson

Every once in a blue moon somebody will save a letter for me to read when they feel it would be of interest--the content or the message.  This letter was a little troubling, only because of the way it started--"This may sound dumb, but....".  No matter how hard I try to convince people when you are dealing with a world you cant see, feel or understand, NO question is dumb.  But what bothered me about this letter was the question the woman thought might be dumb--she wanted to know if pets are loved enough by God to see life hereafter.

I looked very carefully at the neat, carefully written letter, and noticed something I didnt see immediately--there were small dots over the letter where the ink ran.  The ink ran because the letter was dotted with tears.  I promise myself every time I read a letter like this that I will not call, and every time I read a letter like this I call.  I cant help myself--I am a pet lover too.  If anything I called only to offer condolences.  When I called the woman was very surprised but very polite, telling me it was wonderful that I took the time to call over something that wasnt as big a deal as many of the other people who write.  I had to beg to differ with her--I told her that her grief was just as important and painful as anybody else's, and the reason why I called is because many people dont feel that way.  "You are right", she told me, "There arent many people I can confide to about such profound grief over a cat.  She may have only been a cat, but she was my baby.  She was all I had.  I just hope that God feels the same way about her."

Maybe you need to be a pet owner to understand this, but the souls in the hereafter are very specific about pets on the earth.  They call them the "eyes of God"  on the earth, and if you share your life with a pet you know exactly what they mean.  No matter what the circumstance, no matter what their history, pets never lose the capacity to love without condition, and to willingly accept whatever is thrown at them in this existence.  Even through abuse, torture, neglect and indifference, pets learn to love the very people who mistreat them, and never lose the ability to trust another human being again.  They are a source of eternal light and love on the earth--the closest that we will ever come to the Infinite Light on the earth.  But why dont more people realize this?  because they cannot speak for themselves, and because as humans we think we have power over them. 

I have warned people in books and also in seminars that the hereafter considers cruelty to animals much worse offense than cruelty to another human being.  Because they are often smaller and have to rely on instincts rather than education to get by in life, the energy, love and light they exude is cherished by the Infinite light, who sends pets to the earth to teach us what is possible through love and hope.  Where people fall apart in difficult circumstances, animals seem to thrive.  We as a culture, with our arrogance and pride, do not yet recognize that.  That is, unless you are graced with a pet in your life.

In answer to the woman's question, pets are welcomed home to the hereafter every bit as much as their human counterparts--even more so, because they fully complete the job they have been sent here to do--to remind us that love is enduring, and that the eyes of God are always on the earth