Yes, Our Pets Teach Us Unconditional Love
When I watch animals lavishing love on their masters, just because they love them, not even expecting anything in return, I’m saddened by the realization that we really never seem to learn what they are trying to teach us.
Our beloved animals don’t care what color our skin is. They don’t care if we are rich or poor, they don’t care if we neglect them…they just keep lavishing us with their unconditional love, expecting nothing in return. And look how happy they are all the time!
Too Many People Only Know Conditional Love
All I hear from my friends is, “I’m not about to let him treat me that way! He needs to pay more attention to me, and spend less time with his friends, and then I’ll pay more attention to him.” Or “I can’t let him know how much I really care. He’ll take advantage of me.” Or “Geez, he spends more time with his kids than he does with me. If we ever get married, he’s gonna have to devote more time to me, or I’m breaking up with him.”
All of these statements are examples of CONDITIONAL love – I’ll love YOU if you love ME. I wonder how you would feel if God said to you, “I’ll only love you if you act this way, or do this, or don’t do this.”
God’s Love is UNCONDITIONAL
See what I mean? God’s love for us is UNCONDITIONAL. There is absolutely NOTHING bad we could do that would ever change that. I also know that your greatest joy will come from GIVING love, unconditionally, expecting nothing in return.
GIVING love actually opens you up to RECEIVE love, by the way. It’s time that we all opened our hearts, allowing God’s flow of love to pass through us and out to everyone we meet. Unconditional love is our greatest lesson, and is probably the toughest lesson we will ever learn.
Unconditional Love From “Pets for Prisoners”
I was reading an article about the fact that 80% of prisoners who are released from prison will end up back in prison. Very sad. I’ve also read that the majority of these inmates grew up with little or no love or guidance in their life. They literally have no idea what it means to be loved. So, prison becomes their family and they can’t cope in the real world and end up going back.
Yet one program that has been incredibly successful involves allowing prison inmates to raise puppies and train them to be service dogs for people who are disabled
For many of these inmates, it’s the first time in their life they have experienced total unconditional love from that dog, and it has changed their life. Most of them left prison when their sentence was up, and moved forward into happy and productive lives. I will continue to say over and over again, LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE!
Cats are Also Transforming Inmates’ Lives
Another article regarding inmates caring for cats is called Healing Behind Bars: How Cats Are Transforming Inmates’ Lives. This article describes the positive behavior of inmates as a result of caring for cats:
“In the stark reality of incarceration, cats transcend their traditional role as mere comforting companions. They emerge as critical agents for emotional restoration and mental resilience, providing an unexpected sanctuary of peace and acceptance for inmates battling their inner conflicts – a truly remarkable testament to feline-facilitated rehabilitation.”
“Inmates, often grappling with their own inner turmoil, find solace and a non-judgmental presence in their feline companions. This special bond between the inmates and their cat buddies does wonders. It creates a kind of safe space that helps to kick-start real change in inmate behavior.”
Animals are Truly God’s Blessing for Humans
So many of my friends talk about their sad, unhappy, chronically ill loved ones being transformed when they were given a cat or dog to care for. When my uncle died, my aunt went through a period of depression that began to worry her adult children. They ended up bringing her a dog, which she named Gunther. And the love my aunt lavished on that sweet fur baby brought her out of her depression.
I have three cats, two I rescued when their owner died. And the joy these three cats bring me is indescribable. I can have a really rough day at work, yet when I return home and see them running to greet me, I can release all the worries and stress and lavish them with love.
THANK YOU, DEAR GOD for showing us the true meaning of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
Please feel free to share your experiences with me. I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at [email protected].
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