A Thought For The Week Of September 12, 2016

"The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." (Proverbs 12:10) It's obvious that those who were inspired to write the words of Scripture had a very clear understanding of human nature. This verse is a prime example of that. This is a concept that has actually been proven by psychological research to be true: good people are kind to animals, and cruelty often shows itself first in how we treat animals. It's known, for example, that those who in adulthood are violent toward people often began as abusers of animals when they were children. I actually find that this reminds me a great deal of the principle that Jesus offered with these words: "whatever you do for [or to] the least of these you do for [or to] me." In other words, how we treat the weak and vulnerable among us - those who can't defend themselves against us - is a sign of the attitude we hold toward God as well. Or you could also point to Jesus' teaching that if a person can't be trusted with small things then they certainly can't be trusted with big things. Thinking about that in the ight of this verse, animals - and especially domesticated animals - are virtually helpless. How we treat them is a sign not just of how humane we are; it's a sign of our basic humanity and of our closeness to God. I admit that I've always had a visceral reaction to those who abuse either animals or children - because they're basically cowards who target those who are totally unable to defend themselves. And this idea translates on to a larger scale as well. As a society we need to ensure that the helpless among us are defended, whether by laws protecting animals and children and other vulnerable people from abuse, or whether by programs that help those who for whatever reason simply seem unable to help themselves. To commit to such things isn't a political act; it's a sign of our faith. Our love for those who are the most vulnerable among us is a demonstration of our love for Jesus.