This world wasn't supposed to have death or disease or evil in it.
And then along came the serpent and people chose sin which ripped a giant hole in creation's fabric that let in all the death and disease and evil we all now experience.
It's definitely part of life. People you know, people you love are touched by death and you can do nothing about it. You hear of someone being diagnosed with a fatal disease and you wonder why. There is so much tragedy it can leave a person breathless. Just this morning I read about several police officers being killed in Texas. Yesterday I read of a family losing a 19 year old son. I don't know the family but I know his Great Grandma very well. I know of a family who is watching the father (who is relatively young) losing function daily because of ALS. My husband knows a family with a beautiful two year old daughter who has a unoperable brain tumor. On and on it goes. Only God can comfort in these kinds of situations. God can reach into the places of a person no one else can go. And He will get us through but these kinds of situations change people permanently. We are so interconnected there's no way they couldn't. You learn to live and even be joyful after a great loss but that loss never goes away. That hole becomes a part of you.
Animals feel it too (actually all of creation does -- in fact in Romans it says creation groans for paradise).
I'm watching my dog Zeko experience age. He was 11 years old early this year. He's feeling his age. His muzzle is white. He tires easily. He moves slower much of the time. Sometimes he is so sore he can hardly make it up the stairs. Other times he has energy but it never lasts long.
Life is making him nervous.
I don't know how many years he has left, but I know he's a lot older than he was last year.
Some people wonder if pets will be in heaven.
I have no doubt.
Animals are in heaven so why not beloved pets? If you read Isaiah 11 you read about some animals in heaven. And throughout scripture, horses are mentioned. Jesus and His people will come back riding horses so there has to be horses in heaven.
Heaven is what creation was supposed to be. Perfect.
It won't be boring. I promise.
And you won't grow tired of it. I promise.
I fully believe the animals will be able to talk. Heaven will be incredible.
And when we are landlblasted with tragedy, looking to heaven can bring hope. We know we will not be in a fallen world forever. In fact, we are only in a fallen world for a short time. Even if we live a long life on earth, it is still a nanosecond in comparison to eternity.
Are you going to be there? The only way there is through Jesus. Please accept Him. It isn't a magic formula. He is the door and you gotta go through the door. Talk to Him. He's waiting. He will give you peace. Believers still deal with tragedy and pain and loss and everything else others deal with. But Believers don't have to do it alone for Jesus is right there within (so is the Spirit and the Father). Somehow God can bring us through the worst possible tragedy and make us better, make us more tender and gentle and compassionate. He can do that for you too.