Updating Jesus – Pet Food and Hunger

Greetings Dear Reader,

I was standing in line at the grocer’s recently when I overheard a woman complaining to her companion that they were out of the “Halo” dog food at another store.  She went on to say that her dog would not eat anything more “domestic”. 

This dog food is $45 a serving.  Before I get too wound up I want to be clear that I love dogs, I tolerate cats (even though I am allergic and am sure they have a plot to kill me {You can learn more about this in Sheetrock on the Road my latest book}), and I like most animals that are domesticated.  I hate animal abuse and feel that being cruel to any living creature is abhorrent.

I also think we need to understand the excess we accept to have pets in our home.  I do not want to be hypocritical here.  I have a bird.  It was a gift from my Daughter.  I have good bird food for it.  It is not high priced but has all the right nutrition.  The thing is that the market wants me to buy toys, perches, and treats for the bird as well.  The market demands that I anthropomorphize my bird.  I refuse.  I am, however, trying to teach him to talk. 

I refuse to succumb to the trend to make this bird an expensive plaything.  I enjoy his company and am amazed at his ability to mimic things.  I refuse to put him before the needs of humans.  This is what I mean.  We spend more on pets than we do on the hungry and homeless in our own country.  Again, it is not a bad thing to have pets but we have moved far beyond the pale.

Think for a moment what $45 dollars a meal means.  I can take my Son, Daughter, and Grandsons out to dinner for that.  The right organization can feed ten people with that.  I have not had a dog in a long time but I know that they eat at least twice a day.  I could not in good faith or conscience spend $90 a day on dog food if I were not at least matching that in feeding the hungry.

We look at the great wrongs in our culture and ignore the common every day excesses that make us selfish and unkind. Pets are not wrong.  Overindulging in them is.  Always wrong.  We do need to update our view of Jesus to include things he never mentioned , our cultural excesses included. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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