I’ve noticed a quiet order woven into Creation, a ladder of glory stretching from the dust of the earth to the throne of Heaven. Our God sits above all things, eternal and uncreated, speaking galaxies into existence with a single word. Beneath Him are the angels, radiant servants of light, ancient witnesses to the unfolding story of mankind. And beneath the angels stand men, formed from clay and breath, trembling somewhere between earth and eternity.
“For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor” Psalm 8:5
Scripture tells us that we were made “a little lower than the angels,” and yet crowned with glory and honor. What a strange and beautiful thing. I’ve also noticed that we are very fragile creatures, with wandering hearts and divided minds. We bruise easily, doubt constantly, and spend our years stumbling toward wisdom. Still, Heaven looks upon us with patience. God does not despise our weakness. The angels do not mock our frailty. Though stronger, wiser, and untouched by many of the temptations that plague us, they minister to us still with love.
And beneath us are the creatures of the earth.
The beasts of the field. The birds stitched across the morning sky. The horse that carries burdens it never chose. The blue whale moving silently through depths like a hymn too deep for words. The old dog resting at my feet.
They do not build cities or compose symphonies. They do not preach sermons or write blogs about eternity. Yet they too carry the fingerprints of the same Creator.
How strange, then, that men so often rule over them with malice instead of mercy.
We who beg God daily for compassion can be merciless toward creatures weaker than ourselves. We ask Heaven for gentleness while offering less to the lives placed within our care. We pray for grace while withholding it from those beneath us.
But perhaps these creatures are not merely beneath us, but entrusted to us. Small living parables reminding us that power without love becomes corruption. Every encounter is an invitation for us to imitate Heaven.
For one day, when mankind stands beneath the gaze of angels and before the throne of God, we may discover that mercy toward the least among us was never weakness at all. It was likeness to God.
Over the decades, this is the wonderful burden my canine companions, Mia, Shane, Muffin, and Maxwell, have quietly laid upon an old man’s heart.
“A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel”
Proverbs 12:10
