How can I handle grieving the loss of a pet?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

God is a loving Comforter. Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Experiencing the death of a pet can be emotionally crushing, but God is not far away from us as we grieve—He is right next to us. Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 indicates that there is a season for every time in our lives. We can fondly remember the times we shared with our pets; we should also allow ourselves to grieve over them departing from us. In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus illustrates how God cares for all His creatures; He views our pets as precious, and He views us as even more precious. Jesus also invites us to bring our burdens to Him so He can give us rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Our pets are gifts from God (James 1:17), and we are blessed to be able to care for and love them while they are a part of our lives. The “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) empathizes with us, understands us, and loves us during our grieving process.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Lord is near to those who are brokenhearted and grieving over the loss of a pet (Psalm 34:18).
• Proverbs 12:10 describes regard for animals as righteous behavior: “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.” God cares for His creatures, so we can share our pain with Him when we lose a pet.
• God gives many gifts to us in this difficult world, including blessing us with pets. We can praise God for the gift of our pet and the seasons of our lives that we shared with them (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• God cares for all creatures, from the lowly sparrow, to our beloved pets, to us (Matthew 10:29-31).
• In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." We can bring our burden of grief to Jesus knowing that He’ll carry it with us.
• Romans 15:4 assures us of “the encouragement of the Scriptures.” God’s word is a balm for our grief when we lose a pet.
• God is a comforter to those who have lost beloved pets (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
• James 1:17 tells us, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." The loving, wonderful animals God allows us to care for are precious gifts given to us from God.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

In our broken world, God knows we carry so many hurts and losses. If we are experiencing grief over the death of a beloved pet, we should take our pain to the Lord. We can ask Him to ground us in His truth and goodness, knowing that He bears with us the sadness we face when losing a beloved pet. As we grieve, we can pour out our feelings, memories, and hurts to Him, telling Him things like how much we enjoyed our pet, how sweet and funny heshe was and how much we miss him/her. We can explain to Him how hard it was to say goodbye, too. As a loving Father, God longs to move into all our hurting places and comfort us. It is natural and fitting that we mourn the death of a pet, and this process should be respected by our friends and family. As we endure a time of grief over our pet departing from our lives, we can hold ourselves close to the comforting truths of God’s Word and invite Him to bear our pain.

UNDERSTAND

• God offers comfort and draws near to the brokenhearted in circumstances like grieving the loss of a pet.
• Our pets are gifts from God to cherish, and grieving their loss is a natural part of life’s seasons.
• We can bring our grief to Jesus, who carries our burdens and offers us rest.

REFLECT

• How can you experience God's comfort when you grieve the loss of your pet?
• What are some specific memories of your pet that you are thankful to God for, and how can you honor those memories?
• How can you bring your feelings of sadness and loss to Jesus, trusting that He will carry your burdens with you?

ENGAGE

• While the Bible does not explicitly state whether our pets will be in heaven, it assures us that God’s new creation will be a place of perfect joy and peace (Revelation 21:4-5). We can trust in God’s goodness, knowing He deeply cares for all His creation and will satisfy every longing of our hearts in His presence.
• How can we comfort others when they’re grieving the loss of a pet?
• How can we share the truth that God cares for all creatures, even our pets, with others who may be struggling with a loss of a pet?