When God created mankind He gave us dominion over the animals. Did you ever wonder what that might have looked like? In Genesis 2:19 it says that God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them. I picture Adam touching each creature, and talking to it, and each of them standing calm and carefree next to him. Sadly, that relationship was shattered when Adam and Eve sinned. But every now and then, we can see glimpses of that original connection today.
This past weekend Victor Espinoza rode the horse "American Pharaoh" to victory in the third jewel of the Triple Crown -- a feat not accomplished since 1978.
In late May, Deputy Todd Frazier of Long Beach, Mississippi, was ambushed by three men. As they dragged him into some nearby woods, they told him they were going to slit his throat and dump his body. Somehow the deputywas able to activate his keychain, which opened the back doors of his squad car where his partner Lucas was waiting.
Lucas tore out of the car, bit one of the three men, and sent the others fleeing the scene. As you undoubtedly guessed, Lucas is Deputy Frazier's K-9 partner, a black Belgian Malinois. Dogs are incredible animals that help us in a variety of ways through their fierce loyalty and their amazingly acute sense of smell.
Before the engine was developed, work animals like horses, oxen, donkeys, mules and camels made farming and transportation possible. Miniature horses are now being used to replace seeing-eye dogs because they have better memories, and can live up to 50 years.
Asian and Mediterranean fishermen have trained ocean cormorants (birds) to capture fish and return them without eating them. Mongolian herdsmen use golden eagles to attack and kill wolves that threaten their herds. We have even developed tame call ducks. Hunters release them in a marsh, and they quack extra loud to lure the wild ducks into shooting range.
Bottlenose dolphins and sea lions assist our navy in mine detection and "arrest" enemy divers; non-poisonous king snakes, corn snakes and milk snakes offer great massage therapy; African giant pouched rats sniff out landmines and detect other explosives.
Each of these cases can cast our mind back to God's plans for the dominion He gave mankind over the animals. It also makes me think forward to the new heavens and the new earth when Jesus returns and restores the original creation.
What animal relationships have you valued in your life? How has your life been enriched by animals? Was it a beloved dog or cat? Maybe it was a horse or a goat or something a little out of the ordinary.
Take a minute and click here to tell us about the favorite animal(s) in your life.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
Posts
1 comment :
I was blessed to grow up in a loving family with great Christian parents. My home was in the country where there were essentially no local children to socialize with other than at school. So my time was spent with my parents and sister. As I said, my parents were loving Christian parents. But that also meant that they were disciplinarians. That's a good thing, and included a spanking or two when it was called for. Unfortunately, it appears there's not much of that going around these days. This world would be a better place if it were. But when I received my well earned discipline, I needed someone to turn to to talk to and share my problems. For me that was Champ. My pony listened to all my cares and woes, and never made me feel embarrassed to spill my guts. I remember many a cold winter's day when I would sit on a bail of hay in Champ's barn sharing all my troubles. And he would just listen, and rub his warm head against me, showing his compassion for my problems. Sadly, I had to sell Champ when I got too big to ride him. I hope his new owner loved him as much as I did. I never saw him again. But I know he was a blessing from God during my young teenage years. And I am truly grateful.
Post a Comment