Fellowship Things You've Learned From Your pets and/or Other Animals

[SpiritPsalmist]

God has taught me so much via my pets and watching other animals as well and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this. Please share the lessons spiritual/non-spiritual that you have learned from them.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I'll start,

Several years ago, I had a little dog, terrior mixed with only his momma knew. He was only 10 lbs. I named him Wigglesworth for some stature but because he wiggled so much I called him Wiggles. Wiggles followed me wherever I went. I'd get up from the chair and go to the kitchen, he'd follow. I'd go into the bedroom, he'd follow. He would follow so close behind me that with each of my steps I felt his little nose touch the back of my leg. One day he was following me and I got a little irritated but then I heard the voice of God say, "Barbara, that's how close I want you to follow me". Yes God.

 

[Biblicist]

After our wonderful Jack Russell Terrier passed away a couple of years back after a very hectic 15 years; someone asked me if I ever expected to see him in heaven. This made me think, where I quickly decided that our departed pets will not be in heaven and where our loved JRT (or is that a TJR "Terrible JR") will most likely not be. When I was asked why, I said that heaven probably isn't really ready for the little rascal and I could not imagine myself spending eternity chasing Oscar around the Universe every day of the week.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

An idea of what it means to be in the shelter of HIS arms

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=898881236814557

 

[Messy]

The ant swarms in England reminded me to wake up and not be lazy.
Don't have an animal. Had a cat who taught me to be bold if you want some good meat and go to the garbage bag of the neighbours who just had a BBQ and don't care if others laugh at you if you do so with a sock around your neck to protect you for flees.
I remember that story of someone with a small dog on a line that's very long and he goes all places and all of a sudden gluck the line is up. That's our soul we have to control if it goes to all places.

 

[Messy]

This is what I learned from Grumpy cat:

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

This is not a lesson per se, but God did use one of cats to save my life.

I was living in a small trailer. One night I had fallen asleep on the couch and was abruptly awakened by one of my cats jumping on me. I looked around and the trailer was filled with smoke. I got up and the heater, which was in the hallway was shooting flames out of it and it was almost touching the other side of the hallway. I quickly turned the heater off. If I had not been awakened it could have been a disaster. That particular cat had never jumped on me before, and she never did it again after that.

 

[ToBeLoved]

I learn from my dog how to live in the moment. Sorrow does not stay with animals the way it does with us. After they have felt the negative feeling, they move on. With an attitude like 'so what's happening now', forgetting about the bad because that was in the past moments and moving forward and living in the present moment. They don't seem to need to be filled with happiness again because they start out or go back to a point of contentness (which seems neutral) forward with optimism.

Along the same lines, it feels amazing after only being gone for 6 hours, that my dog is so excited to see me. Beyond herself, jumping in happiness, that is all a natural reaction to seeing me after a short time away from each other. Jumping up and down, barking until I pet her and give her 3-4 minutes of attention. Like it's the most important thing in the world. Nice to be thought of that way and appreciated.

 

[madera23]

God has taught me so much via my pets and watching other animals as well and I'm guessing I'm not alone in this. Please share the lessons spiritual/non-spiritual that you have learned from them.

Hi
I learned from watching ants toil as I was relaxing outside, and while I was watching I remembered I left my dishes un done in the sink.
I immediately went in and did my dishes. Lesson learned.
madera

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

My little dog Wiggles was always good about letting me know when he had to go outside. He did not usually need to go out in the middle of the night but if he did, he would sit by my bed and tap me on the arm with his paw until I awoke and would let him out.

So one day I was sick with the flu. Usually when the flu hits me it settles in my chest and my head and I have a difficult time sleeping because I can't breathe. So this one night, when I went to bed I took a dose and a half of Nyquil so that I could sleep. It did indeed, put me out. The next thing I knew Wiggles had ran over my head on the pillow. I did not move, I did not open my eyes, I was thinking, did he really just do that? A few minutes later, he ran back over my head the other direction, from my back to the front. This time I opened my eyes and there he sat, with his face almost touching mine, intently watching me. As soon as I opened my eyes, he began to wiggle frantically, letting me know he needed to go out. Who knows how long he had patiently tapped me with his paw until he resorted to more desperate measures.

Not sure of the lesson learned...persistence I guess.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

My mama cat, showed me how pets perceived the things unseen in relation to how I felt so that I could better recognise stuff. It happened close to 7/8 years ago but it helped me to discern when I felt a move of the Holy Spirit and when something else was around (attached to people visiting the house or outside etc). On times when I had been prayed over or times when I am deep in prayer to where I am overcome in His presence, she would be winding in and out of my arms purring like I was catnip. There was also a time when I felt so at peace after praying and it was as though she kept happily watching something over my head, following it with her eyes, until I guess it disappeared (as my feeling of peace subsided) and then she suddenly stared straight at me before jumping off my lap.

Then on the occasions when my ex was still in the house and he use to pray to allah, she was so profoundly hostile, staring at something unseen, silently but with her fur slightly raised and crouched down, ears back. But when she had moments like that, I would feel a great sense of unease within me to where I would pray and command whatever it was to leave. It helped me to recognise that in terms of when I'd be out at work now and would come across a situation so that I could pray into it.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

My mama cat, showed me how pets perceived the things unseen in relation to how I felt so that I could better recognise stuff. It happened close to 7/8 years ago but it helped me to discern when I felt a move of the Holy Spirit and when something else was around (attached to people visiting the house or outside etc). On times when I had been prayed over or times when I am deep in prayer to where I am overcome in His presence, she would be winding in and out of my arms purring like I was catnip. There was also a time when I felt so at peace after praying and it was as though she kept happily watching something over my head, following it with her eyes, until I guess it disappeared (as my feeling of peace subsided) and then she suddenly stared straight at me before jumping off my lap.

Then on the occasions when my ex was still in the house and he use to pray to allah, she was so profoundly hostile, staring at something unseen, silently but with her fur slightly raised and crouched down, ears back. But when she had moments like that, I would feel a great sense of unease within me to where I would pray and command whatever it was to leave. It helped me to recognise that in terms of when I'd be out at work now and would come across a situation so that I could pray into it.

Cats are pretty perceptive. Once, I awoke in the middle of the night. I was going through a particularly bad illness and was laying on the bed proclaiming the truths of God regarding what I was experiencing. My cat Muffin (the same cat who awoke me in the near fire) was sitting on the bed next to me. As I spoke each scripture toward my situation, she would meow after each statement. "God I thank you that You are my healer", meow. "God I thank you that in your name I am free from this", meow. So on and so forth. Finely, it registered that she was doing this and I stopped and looked at her and said, "what are you the Amen section?" Meow! God really does have a sense of humor.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

Cats are pretty perceptive. Once, I awoke in the middle of the night. I was going through a particularly bad illness and was laying on the bed proclaiming the truths of God regarding what I was experiencing. My cat Muffin (the same cat who awoke me in the near fire) was sitting on the bed next to me. As I spoke each scripture toward my situation, she would meow after each statement. "God I thank you that You are my healer", meow. "God I thank you that in your name I am free from this", meow. So on and so forth. Finely, it registered that she was doing this and I stopped and looked at her and said, "what are you the Amen section?" Meow! God really does have a sense of humor.

LOL! Aren't they amazing!

 

[FoundInGrace]

Cats are pretty perceptive. Once, I awoke in the middle of the night. I was going through a particularly bad illness and was laying on the bed proclaiming the truths of God regarding what I was experiencing. My cat Muffin (the same cat who awoke me in the near fire) was sitting on the bed next to me. As I spoke each scripture toward my situation, she would meow after each statement. "God I thank you that You are my healer", meow. "God I thank you that in your name I am free from this", meow. So on and so forth. Finely, it registered that she was doing this and I stopped and looked at her and said, "what are you the Amen section?" Meow! God really does have a sense of humor.

hehe thats awesome!

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

The Farmer's Donkey: A Fable for Our Time


One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.


At first, when the donkey realized what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up. (Shifting)

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone's amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Every adversity can be turned into a stepping stone. The way to get out of the deepest well is by never giving up but by shaking yourself off and taking a step up.

What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it.


Author Unknown

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Animals that Teach Important Spiritual Lessons

 

[FoundInGrace]

I had a cat who used to come and curl up on my knee every chance he got and look adoringly up at me (until I patted him of course!). he was a unique cat in lots of ways more like a dog in some ways. Thing was he had such trust and 'love' it seemed, that I often used to think that is how I should be with God - seeking out His Presence and just wanting to be around Him just adoring and trusting Him like my cat used to be with me.

 

[Lotuspetal_uk]

The Farmer's Donkey: A Fable for Our Time


One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out a way to get him out. Finally he decided it was probably impossible and the animal was old and the well was dry anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to try and retrieve the donkey. So the farmer asked his neighbors to come over and help him cover up the well. They all grabbed shovels and began to shovel dirt into the well.


At first, when the donkey realized what was happening he cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down and let out some happy brays. A few shovel loads later, the farmer looked down the well to see what was happening and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was shaking it off and taking a step up. (Shifting)

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he continued to shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, to everyone's amazement, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Moral: Life is going to shovel dirt on you. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Every adversity can be turned into a stepping stone. The way to get out of the deepest well is by never giving up but by shaking yourself off and taking a step up.

What happens to you isn't nearly as important as how you react to it.


Author Unknown

I seriously needed to read this today. Thank you sister!

I've had quite a difficult week and woke up this morning, not yet giving up but close to it. So I asked the Lord to help me to understand why we as believers continually face trials. I asked him to show me in whatever way He so chooses, but that I will be open to pay attention and learn from it.

So I logged onto here and saw this! LOL What an awesome God we serve!!