Lord, Make Me A Vegetarian! But Not Yet...

So, as noted in my prior blog, I realized finally that where I want to eventually go is a place where meat is no longer on the menu.

And it's rather obvious, isn't it? When things here on Earth are finally made right, creatures won't be eating each other. Duh.

As soon as this stunning no-brainer ran through my head, I realized how blindingly obvious the point is. In the Garden of Eden, we were eating greens. And the animals trusted us.

Animals are scared to death of us now, and rightly so. We eat them.

But a tantalizing scripture passage anticipates a fully redeemed world.

Isaiah 11:6-10
The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Gee, sounds nice! When does it happen? Funny you should ask. This passage falls smack-dab in the middle of a messianic passage referring to Jesus. Jesus is the one who will usher this day in.

Well, friends, Jesus has already visited us once, and this vision is still only a vision. Will it become reality when Jesus returns again?

Revelation 21:1-5 (abridged)
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

At this point, I began to feel a bit Augustinian. He's St. Augustine now, but as a youth he was a happy rebel enjoying wine, women and song — with a strong emphasis on the 'women' part.

When Augustine began to feel the call of God on his life, he cried out, "Lord, make me chaste! But not yet."

My cry echoed his. Lord, make me a vegetarian! But not yet.

Anyone with enough time on their hands to read all my recent blogs might mistake me for a rabid rabbit hugger or something. Far from it. I love the taste of bacon. I'm sorry to say good-bye to steaks.

But if Eden is what I miss...
If Isaiah's vision is what I wish for....
If I'm looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth...
If I yearn for the day when death will be no more...

Shouldn't I be keen to participate less in the death industry today?

What's stopping me from taking that first step? Not much. Two things.

1) The fact that I have a taste for meat, and
2) The fact that everyone else around me does too.

And as I walked along the path on that sunny Sunday morning, I realized that these were not very compelling reasons to wait.

My thoughts returned to John Newton. No wonder it took him so bloody long to shed his affection for the slave trade. It was his way of life. His source of income. And everyone around him was engaged in the same game. No friends saying, "Stop!"

It's hard to go against the flow. All the more so when it's pleasant.

Thankfully other pioneers have made the transition somewhat easier for me. Vegetarian diets and recipes are not hard to find these days. I'm not exactly in the vanguard.

But now that the decision is made, I'm an eager recruit.

Hopefully for good.

To be continued...