Kindness to Critters

Read: Psalm 145:8-21; Luke 6:31

Maylie stroked Chester’s long orange fur. Her cat purred loudly. “Sir Chester Chatterson, would you like a morsel of cake?” Maylie placed a cat treat on a plate and poured water into a teacup for Chester.

Mom walked by as Chester lapped water out of the cup. “He let you put that top hat on him?” She laughed. “Just remember to let him leave when he’s had enough tea party time.”

After Chester wandered off, Maylie spotted Miss Priss grooming herself in the sunshine. Miss Priss was an older cat and didn’t like to be bothered. Maybe just this one time she won’t mind, Maylie thought.

Miss Priss gave a warning growl when Maylie picked her up. At first, a few treats seemed to appease the calico, but when Maylie tried to pull a doll’s dress over her head, Miss Priss had quite enough!

Hisssss! Scratch! Maylie looked at her arm and began to cry. Mom darted into the room and untangled Miss Priss from the lace dress before attending to Maylie’s scratch.

“Maylie, you know better than to bother Miss Priss!”

“She’s a mean cat!” Maylie sobbed.

“No, she’s just protecting herself. What you did to her was not kind. Do you remember the Bible verse we’ve been working on?”

Maylie stopped sniffling to recite it. “‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’”

“Good job! Jesus wants us to care about other people’s feelings and needs the way He cares about ours. When we treat people with kindness, we’re showing them the kind of love He showed us when He gave His life to save us. Even the way we care for animals and their needs shows His love in us, because He cares for everything He created.” Mom finished bandaging Maylie’s arm. “Now, what did Miss Priss need?”

“To be left alone. But Mom, Chester doesn’t mind when I dress him up!”

“Chester is a younger cat with a different temperament than Miss Priss. Not everyone likes the same thing. Remember when one of your friends tried to force you to put face paint on at her birthday party?”

Maylie’s eyes widened. “I do not like stuff on my face!” She walked over to the calico and gently pet her head. “I’m sorry, Prissy. You look better in calico than lace anyhow.”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you ever struggle with being kind to animals? Or maybe you want to love them so much that you don’t give them the space they need. While animals aren’t created in God’s image like people are, the Bible says God cares about all His creation, down to the smallest of sparrows (Matthew 10:29). As we show Jesus’s love to other people, we can also display His love in the way we treat animals. How can you care for a critter today?

Today’s key verse: The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Being kind to critters matters to God