Pets in Heaven

A few months ago I read Randy Alcorn's excellent book Heaven. I highly recommend it. Anyway, the latter half of the book goes into lots of specific thoughts about what we might see/do/experience in Heaven. In light of my last post, I was remembering a couple of chapters on animals, including a brief section on pets.

Alcorn suggests that it's not at all silly to wonder whether we might see our beloved pets again. Of course we can't know for sure, and it goes without saying that Heaven will be no less Heaven if our pets aren't there. Nonetheless, Alcorn says, God is the Giver of all good gifts, and He created them. Think of how many ways He has used animals to touch human lives! We know there will be animals in Heaven, and it would be a simple matter for God to re-create certain ones we knew and loved on earth. He includes this quote from Joni Eareckson Tada:

"If God brings our pets back to life, it wouldn't surprise me. It would be just like Him. It would be totally in keeping with His generous character. ...Exorbitant. Excessive. Extravagant in grace after grace. Of all the dazzling discoveries and ecstatic pleasures heaven will hold for us, the potential of seeing Scrappy would be pure whimsy--utterly, joyfully, surprisingly superfluous. ...Heaven is going to be a place that will refract and reflect in as many ways as possible the goodness and joy of our great God, who delights in lavishing love on His children."
(quoted in Heaven by Randy Alcorn, Tyndale, 2004)