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All God's creatures...
Growing up in an environment filled not only with pets but also wild critters in my yard, I have always been a major animal lover. From dogs and cats, to bunnies and chinchillas, to (most recently) horses and snakes, I have had my fair share of pets and have always known them to be spiritual, created and protected by God, just as I am. A quote I learned many years ago has stuck with me: “All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 514).
Several years ago, after moving my horse to a new stall, I cut a path through the brush and trees from my house to her stall so I could quickly get to her. One day I noticed a branch lying across the path and proceeded to move it without a thought. But then I began to feel stings all over my body as yellow jackets swirled around me. I was 14 at the time and had never been stung before, so I ran back to the house in tears, still covered with insects.
As soon as I got there, my mother comforted me and asked me, “What do you know?” I instantly responded with the quote: “All God’s creatures … are harmless, useful, indestructible.” Immediately, I felt a calm spread over me as the yellow jackets stopped their stinging. I stopped crying, and my mom gently brushed the now-harmless insects off me. From that day on, I haven’t been afraid of any stinging bugs, and have had no bad effects from encountering them. A few times later on, I accidentally disturbed some swarms of angry bugs in the woods, but I gently brushed them off and continued on my way, reminding myself that even though it’s easy to think of these bugs as harmful or pesky, they are still God’s creatures.
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