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March 09, 2005
The Runaway Bunny
There have been times in my life when God is so real to me and times when he seems so distant. I know that my circumstances don't change who God is, he is always the same, always pursuing my heart. You know "promises" you've made to God, like I promise to never do such and such sin again? And then you do it again, most likely within the next 30 minutes of promising? And yet God forgives over and over again. He doesn't tire of pursuing me because I'm his child. No matter where I try to run (whether I'm aware of the fact that I'm running or not) he will find me.
I was struck by this truth this morning while reading The Runaway Bunny to Caleb. If you haven't read this story, you must! In fact, let me include some lines from the story.
"I am running away." "If you run away," said his mother, "I will run after you. For you are my little bunny." "If you run after me," said the little bunny, "I will become a fish in a trout stream and I will swim away from you." "If you become a fish in a trout stream," said his mother, "I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you"
The little bunny goes on to say he'll become a rock, then the mama becomes a mountain climber. Then the bunny is a crocus in a hidden garden and the mama becomes a gardener to find him. The little bunny decides to become a bird and fly away from his mama, her reply, "If you become a bird and fly away from me, I will be a tree that you come home to." Then the bunny becomes a sailboat and the mother says "I will become the wind and blow you where I want you to go." He goes to the circus, then finally decides to be a little boy and sees that its no use in running away because his mama will always come for him.
The mama isn't trying to hunt the bunny down to punish him, she just wants to be with him because, as she says, he's her little bunny. This is such a great picture of what God is for us. His pursuit of us in unrelenting. I can tend to see this pursuit in a punishing kind of way, but its because he truly loves me that he runs after me.
I often get distracted, forget to pray, forget to give thanks and read his word. Yet when I'm off in my distraction, God comes to where I am. He reminds me when I'm far off that he's there fishing for me, climbing to where I am, finding me, being a place I can come home to, guiding me where he wants me to go, and simply catching me in his arms and hugging me. There is no place I can go that he will not be with me. Through the hard places and those filled with comfort, nothing can ever change the fact that I'm his child and that he just wants to be with me. I need to remember this and decide like the little bunny in the story, its no use running after false things to fill me, instead I just need to "stay home" in Jesus, and run to him first. I can't look to this world to help define who I am, I only need to look to him.
I'm so thankful for finding his grace this morning in this story. My heart needs to know his unending love for me and that it isn't based on what I do or don't do, but on what Jesus has already done for me.
Posted by michellew at March 9, 2005 12:39 PM
Comments
I am ashamed to say that as many times as I have read that book, I never really thought about what a great illustration it is of God's love. Thanks for pointing it out.
Posted by: willa at March 9, 2005 01:27 PM
Have you see the Film, Wit starring Emma Thompson? Her character is read that book during a hospital visit and its a very moving scene and I had some similar thoughts. My mom gave my sisters and I that book for Christmas for the very same reason that you write about.
Posted by: austina at March 9, 2005 01:48 PM
Michelle, it's me again, and this has nothing to do with the book. Are you conversationally fluent in Spanish? We are prob going to start having some conversational Spanish "get togethers" in prep for our Mexico trip in July (I hestitate to call them classes because I'm not qualified to teach such. . .I minored in Spanish, but would hardly consider myself fluet). Anyway, since you have experience teaching Spanish, I wondered it you might be willing to come to CVPC a couple times btwn now and July and help us out with our espanol? Just conversational, nothing formal?
Posted by: willa at March 9, 2005 01:56 PM
Holy cow, I totally missed that awesome analogy w/that book! I feel like the scales have fallen. Thanks, Michelle. That's beautiful.
Posted by: lynnp at March 10, 2005 08:17 PM
Although I have never read this book I really enjoyed your post. I may just have to pick this one up for my two year old nephew. Isn't it awesome to come across things like that and then discover the grace of God all through it? Thanks for the post.
Posted by: Alan at March 29, 2005 12:23 PM
B&N just made some money off this blog post, Michelle. I picked up a copy of the board book today -- can't wait to read it!
Posted by: Rebecca at March 29, 2005 04:03 PM