My son Evan (with help from his older brother, Peter) is digging a hole in the back yard. Our cat Semper died last night. It had become clear in recent months that the time was near. She had had some health issues that had necessitated a lot of cleaning up. Death is never a good thing, but sometimes it is unavoidable. The last few weeks we tried to make Semper comfortable, and I experienced a renaissance of affection for her after deciding not to take her to the vet to put her down.
This morning I was sad, but relieved. I shed no tears for Semper, but I did cry when attempting to console Evan. Semper had her life from the hand of God, her role to play in the life of our family. Semper’s little body, which was as light as a feather at the end, will go into the hole. But I trust that something more permanent will remain in the land of the living.
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
My son Evan (with help from his older brother, Peter) is digging a hole in the back yard. Our cat Semper died last night. It had become clear in recent months that the time was near. She had had some health issues that had necessitated a lot of cleaning up. Death is never a good thing, but sometimes it is unavoidable. The last few weeks we tried to make Semper comfortable, and I experienced a renaissance of affection for her after deciding not to take her to the vet to put her down. 
