God's Love Shows Through the Pain

I was asked to do something today that was not a fun or happy experience.  A family I am very close to asked me if I would take their dog, who was is bad shape, to the humane society to end his pain.  It was not a request I had to think twice about, but it was not an experience I wish to go through on a regular basis.
After it was all done I reflected a bit on the affect pets have on us.  Losing a beloved pet is like losing a family member in many ways, I will admit that.  Still, in many ways it is not.  I fear many people equate losing a pet to losing a human being, which is not something that is all together healthy.
Don't get me wrong, the love and devotion our pets show to us are great gifts from God.  If there is one thing I have been learning about God over the past few years it is that God's love is reflected on us in so many ways and we tend to forget how God really is a part of that sometimes.  The love of a pet is just a sliver, or even just a speck of the love God has for us, yet that simple sliver or speck means so much and can have such a profound affect on people.
So when this kind of loss comes, it's not a time to mourn as if a human were lost.  It's a time to thank God for the love that he showed us through the wonderful and unforgettable companionship of one of his own creations.
I know it does not exactly ease the pain of the loss at all, but keeping God as the focus of all things is always the best thing to do.

I'm gonna miss you Duke... you were a great dog.

Peace all