On February 16, 2005, I made the decision to end his misery. I placed Gideon in a pet carrier and gave him some lettuce to eat. Then I waited for my friend from church to drive me to the clinic
Because of my love for my long-eared friend, I wept all afternoon. Gideon taught me so much about his kind as well as being such a sweet little rascal. The only comfort I felt was that my dear fur-clad lad wasn't suffering anymore.
DC Talk were right when they sang Love is a Verb. Love isn't love if no demonstrations of it take place. Of course the greatest demonstration of love was Christ's death on the cross for whosoever would give their lives to him. By dying to self, we gain eternal life. The good works we do as a result of having the Holy Spirit living in us only serve to further the love of the Lord to others.
Gideon was the inspiration for my first book, When a Man Loves a Rabbit: Learning and Living With bunnies. See the left side of my Bruce Atchison's Books page for details
Oh Bruce, we too know the love God gives us for his furry creatures. And that sometimes the loving thing is the hardest thing. But of course both the Father and Jesus know all about that too.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for His love... and his comfort in times when we have to say good-bye to our furry loved ones.
That Gideon... from reading your book about him he was a loveable 'wascally wabbit'.
Thanks for sharing your love meditation with us today.
It is so difficult to lose a beloved pet.
ReplyDeleteI felt such a pang in my heart reading what you wrote about your dear rabbit. Our pets give us such joy, laughter, worry and sadness, don't they?
ReplyDeleteI haven't had pets for a long time, but I could sense the pain you underwent to free the one you loved from pain. Thanks for posting the story.
ReplyDeleteI was singing the DC Talk song in my head even before you mentioned it!
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