They Ate What?

We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

One veterinarian had a picture of the 43 socks that were found in a dog’s stomach. I have known pet owners who were ready to tear their hair out and had to get a second job because of their beloved pet’s appetite for strange items. Ellen Fannon (All God’s Creatures) has a great message for everyone—not just animal lovers.

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Since 2006, The Veterinary Practice News, a professional magazine, has featured an annual contest called “They Ate What?” Veterinarians submit radiographs of the strangest objects they have encountered in their patients’ digestive tracts, hoping to win prizes and a brief moment of fame in the spotlighted article.

Most veterinarians, myself included, have removed some bizarre non-edible materials from the digestive tracts of our patients. It’s difficult to narrow down the list of the weirdest things I’ve take out of my patients, beyond the mundane rocks, bones, towels, socks, underwear, string, sewing needles, coins, and toys that all vets have likely seen. Perhaps the duck who swallowed a whole rubber glove tops the list. Or maybe the dog whose stomach looked like he was trying to build a bird’s nest with twigs and leaves. Why do animals eat unusual things? God only knows. But nothing good can come of ingesting items that weren’t meant to be eaten. 

Thinking about these unusual dietary choices, I’m reminded that nothing good can come from allowing impurities into our minds. The expression “Garbage in, garbage out,” a computer concept that the quality of the input determines the quality of the output, can be equally applied to our brains. Once unclean images or words have entered the mind, it is difficult to eradicate them.

I must guard against what I watch, read, or listen to. At times, I have turned off a promising movie or quit watching a television series because of foul language or the introduction of immoral plotlines. I’ve stopped reading books in the first chapter. When unwholesome thoughts cross my mind, I must consciously force myself to redirect my thinking to something God-honoring. Taking every thought captive is a practice I’ve learned to incorporate into my life, one that gets easier the more I do it.

Just as ingested garbage harms the bodies of our pets, garbage entering my mind harms my soul.

Oh, be careful little eyes, what you see.   —Anonymous

Oh Be Careful, Little Eyes, What You See

Loving Lord, thank You for caring for us and our pets. May we not ingest unspiritual thoughts. AMEN.