June 27, 2025

Early one morning, around 4:30 a.m., my dog, Rudy, woke me up, needing to go out. It was an emergency of sorts, and he couldn't hold it any longer. So I gathered myself and got him ready. We were at the beach, so it was a little more of a process than being at home where I could just let him out the door; I had to put on his leash and harness, make my way to the elevator, and then we were out the door. Nothing unusual except this time of morning is when the sprinklers come on. Rudy had to go so badly that he ignored them, and both of us got soaking wet! I'm sure we must have looked like a sight coming back into the building dripping wet. I could have just ignored Rudy and made him wait a little longer until it was a decent hour, but he's a little smarty pants and would have kept me up anyway. Rudy may not be a beast like the Bible mentions since a beast is a large animal like a donkey or ox, but he is my pet, and I care about his feelings because I love him, so I treat him well, just as I'm sure you treat your pets well because we are concerned for the creatures God gives us charge of. However, I'll bet you didn't know that there was a proverb that mentions such care. God calls such a person who cares for their beast righteous. Caring for God's creatures may not be the only thing that makes you righteous, but your love for his creation may be a sure sign that you love Him. Rudy had no trouble going back to sleep, but I couldn't because of a shower I hadn't planned.

A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10