I believe life lessons are best taught through animals.
Just last month, my 3-year-old daughter faced one of the not-so-fun realities of raising animals – the part we all know is inevitable but doesn’t make it any easier.
As we were waking up, my daughter noticed her pony penned up outside, kicking the panels repeatedly. We all know ponies can be a bit ornery, but this was different. The moment I saw her rolling on her back, I knew exactly what it was – colic.
“What’s wrong with Willow?” my daughter asked. With a toddler, every day is a game of 20 questions, but I knew that day’s answers would be a little harder. “Willow is sick,” I said gently.
I vividly remember watching one of my favorite horses as a kid die from colic. It is never fun, no matter how old you are, and one of my questions to God when I get up there is “Why did you make horses with such a complex and finicky digestive system?”
Acting quickly, we loaded that cute miniature palomino paint and headed to the vet. I was prepared for what was ahead, as colic in my experience has never had great odds. A few hours later, we left the clinic with a vet bill and an empty trailer.
As we talked about the day, she held my face in her little hands, looked into my eyes and asked, “Mom, are you sad Willow died?”
“Yes, I’m sad. Are you?” I asked, wondering what she’d say.
“No,” she replied, catching me off guard. I braced for a typical toddler response, but instead, she added, “Willow went to live with Jesus, and that makes me happy.”
Instantly, my heart warmed with a proud mama moment. Life and death are hard concepts to explain to a toddler. But in our home, we have taught her about a loving Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. She might not understand the concept of heaven, but she can sense that it is a good place. She might not understand the sacrifice Jesus made for all mankind, but she believes He is a good person, someone who loves her.
In 1 Corinthians 15:22 (KJV), we read, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What a wonderful gift we have been given through our Savior’s sacrifice, not only the gift of life but the gift of grace as we make mistakes and the gift of mercy for those wounded by life. Jesus is the gift of hope.
The older I get, the more I come to realize that none of us are immune to the disappointments and tragedies of life. But for those with even a small amount of faith, the sting of death and the unfairness of life can be softened.
The Savior said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer [keep a brightness of hope]; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, KJV).
I’ve asked my daughter about Willow since then, and she still says the same thing. As her mother, I hope she can always hold that simple, beautiful faith in things she doesn’t fully understand. And to you reading this, I hope you remember that this gift of hope is available to you as well.
Merry Christmas.
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