Pastor Devin Strong
Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church
There’s a lot of things that one might write about in October, including the baseball playoffs, the college football standings, upcoming congressional elections, or the Halloween candy-fest at the end of the month, but I’d rather lift up the lesser-known celebration of animals this month. Lots of congregations do a Blessing of the Pets sometime in October.
You might think that this is too fluffy (pun intended!) a topic to write about, but it turns out that pet ownership is significantly associated with improved physical and mental health. According to a 2016 HABRI study:
• Pets were found to contribute to a stronger sense of identity in pet owners with mental health conditions, including reducing negative perceptions of a mental health condition or diagnosis.
• Pets provide a sense of security and routine in the relationship, which reinforces stable cognition.
• Pets provide a distraction and disruption from distressing symptoms, such as hearing voices, suicidal thoughts, rumination, and facilitating routine and exercise for those who care for them.
• Approximately 60% of dog walkers met the criteria for regular moderate and/or vigorous leisure time physical activity compared with about 45% for non dog owners and dog owners who did not walk their dog in a 2005 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey.
• In a study of adults over the age of 50 with mildly elevated blood pressure, the presence of a pet dog or cat had a significant impact on blood pressure, with dog ownership being associated with lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure compared to people who did not own pets.
• A study of over 2,400 cat owners concluded there was a significantly lower relative risk for death due to cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack, compared to non owners during a 20 year follow up.
No pet owner needs to be told that having a furry friend is good for you! From a theological perspective, one of the main jobs of the church is to create community, community between people of disparate backgrounds, among folks who are stressed out by work, commuting, and family obligations.
Church strives to be a safe place of unconditional acceptance.
We don’t always achieve that, but pets almost always do!
No one knew this better than Francis of Assisi, the twelfth-century Italian spoiled rich boy who walked away from his pampered life in a disillusioned search for God.
He met God walking among the beggars on the street and in the peace of nature. Stories are told of Francis who preached sermons to birds and on the death of his donkey thanked the animal profusely for carrying him around the countryside. The eventual religious leader came to understand all creatures as his equals, not to be exploited, but to be treasured and celebrated.
In a world where our leaders make one argument and then later say the opposite for political expediency, in a time when we look at our neighbors and fellow church members with suspicion because of who they will vote for, it is stunning and quaint to suggest that ALL creatures are our equals.
Pets don’t give answers to our personal problems or policy proposals for complicated national quandaries, but they do emind us how hungry we all our for love.
Check out SpiritOfPeaceLutheran.org to see when and where Spirit of Peace will be partnering with Bryan County Animal Control for our Blessing of the Pets event.
And do yourself a favor: hug a dog before Election Day!