RABBIT HOLES
WHEN I WAS A CHILD
there were many different seeds of thought planted in my mind about God. It seemed like from the beginning I had people coming at me from different places and with different attitudes about belief. I remember that most of the time God would teach me the most valuable lessons just through everyday life.
On one such occasion, I was very young playing in our back yard...my mom always had a flower garden where I enjoyed playing. One time I found a little baby rabbit who had gotten out of his den exploring for the first time. I wanted nothing more than to pick him up and love him, hold him and comfort him, yet the bunny was frightened of me and ran for cover so I ended up chasing him down. I must have pursued him for almost 30 minutes before he finally laid down on his side and seemingly gave up running from me. When he did there was no more fighting or fear left in him, and I was able to pick up the little limp and exhausted body and gently stroke him. Once he found that I was not the threat of life and death to him he seemed to relax for a bit and we had fun. He sat there with me for the longest time before he finally hopped off into his life and I never saw him again. I didn't realize it then but I found myself very much like that little rabbit with God in my own life. I did everything that I could to avoid being cornered or trapped by God. Not only was he bigger and scarier than anything I have encountered in life, but it was my nature to run from anything that would possibly require my life, and so I struggled with God until I could no longer fight. It was not until I laid my life down and said "ok just kill me and get it over with" that I realized that all God ever wanted was to love me.
It really wasn't my obedience He wanted at first, just my willingness to allow Him to love me. I have thought about that time quite a bit throughout my lifetime, and I can't help but wonder if that little rabbit came away feeling differently about me after our encounter. I do know that it was the realization that God can simply love us without the need for attachments at first that confuses us the most, but the fact that He can and does love us enough to sometimes just want to hold us close and give us love is also enough to let us know that we can trust Him. This is just another seed for us to plant within our lives...who knows what will grow from it? May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
there were many different seeds of thought planted in my mind about God. It seemed like from the beginning I had people coming at me from different places and with different attitudes about belief. I remember that most of the time God would teach me the most valuable lessons just through everyday life.On one such occasion, I was very young playing in our back yard...my mom always had a flower garden where I enjoyed playing. One time I found a little baby rabbit who had gotten out of his den exploring for the first time. I wanted nothing more than to pick him up and love him, hold him and comfort him, yet the bunny was frightened of me and ran for cover so I ended up chasing him down. I must have pursued him for almost 30 minutes before he finally laid down on his side and seemingly gave up running from me. When he did there was no more fighting or fear left in him, and I was able to pick up the little limp and exhausted body and gently stroke him. Once he found that I was not the threat of life and death to him he seemed to relax for a bit and we had fun. He sat there with me for the longest time before he finally hopped off into his life and I never saw him again. I didn't realize it then but I found myself very much like that little rabbit with God in my own life. I did everything that I could to avoid being cornered or trapped by God. Not only was he bigger and scarier than anything I have encountered in life, but it was my nature to run from anything that would possibly require my life, and so I struggled with God until I could no longer fight. It was not until I laid my life down and said "ok just kill me and get it over with" that I realized that all God ever wanted was to love me.
It really wasn't my obedience He wanted at first, just my willingness to allow Him to love me. I have thought about that time quite a bit throughout my lifetime, and I can't help but wonder if that little rabbit came away feeling differently about me after our encounter. I do know that it was the realization that God can simply love us without the need for attachments at first that confuses us the most, but the fact that He can and does love us enough to sometimes just want to hold us close and give us love is also enough to let us know that we can trust Him. This is just another seed for us to plant within our lives...who knows what will grow from it? May you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
Comments
Post a Comment