Lessons from Bunny Love

Posted on by Jennifer Arimborgo
Lily and Moon

“Oh, that we might know the Lord!
Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
or the coming of rains in early spring”
(Hos. 6:3, NLT).

Two weeks ago, a family from church gifted us with two bunnies. Never having owned a rabbit in my life before, I have found this new experience delightful. I never imagined that bunnies have personalities! It has been such fun watching them explore our house; they are wonderfully curious. We named them Moon and Stefano.

As usual, Daddy God turned this happening in our household into an opportunity to show me something. For those who have ears to hear (i.e., a listening heart), He is ever so talkative, ever speaking to us through the events of our lives.

A few minutes before I sat down to write this, I walked out to the area where we are keeping them. I took notice of a pattern that has been emerging. Moon seems to be more receptive to me than her brother bunny. When I quietly approach and reach out to her, she reciprocates. She comes near too, wiggling her nose inquisitively. She pauses for me to stroke her soft head and back, relaxing into my touch. Stefano, on the other hand, has not warmed up to me the same way. He generally moves away from me when I try to make a friendly approach.

As I observed that difference this afternoon, Holy Spirit pointed out to me the subtle impact it has on my heart. Automatically, I am forming a sense of extra emotional warmth towards Moon. In her little bunny way, she has added joy to my day by acting pleased to see me. In contrast, Stefano has endeared himself to me less. Rebuffing my persistent, gentle attempts does not lend itself to currying my heart warmth.

Here is the spiritual lesson. If a little bunny can bring a degree of pleasure to my soul by responding to me, how much more can you and I bring pleasure to our Father’s heart! We are created in His image. We respond to love because He responds to love. He made us to be the way He is. He made us to respond the way He responds. Do you get joy when someone you love (even your pet!) responds lovingly to you? Multiply that by an immeasurable amount, and that is what happens to our Daddy’s heart when we respond to His affection.

When you look His way with love, His heart lights up. Today, you have the opportunity to bring Him pleasure by simply responding to Him. He created you for Him. No one else alive today, or alive ever, can bring Him joy in the unique way that you can. Will you love on Him today?

**************************

Is there an animal in your life that you are attached to? Has the Lord used your pet to speak something special to your heart?

21 thoughts on “Lessons from Bunny Love”

  5. You can potty train bunnies if you didn’t know. I used to keep them in my kindergarten class. In their cage slip a plastic thin container under the cage part in one corner that has kitty litter in it. They will do their business in that corner mostly. Helps with clean up. I used to use the meat tray container that came with like hamburger or steak. Something slim and then you can throw it away.

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    1. Thank you so much for the tip! So they would automatically go in that area? Another friend told us something similar but we hadn’t tried yet. We’ve been trying to find the right materials to build them an area in our front yard, but sometimes this is challenging in our remote jungle city!

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      2. Fascinating! They apparently also like the smell of dry cat food. We have discovered that we have to keep our cat food out of their reach because otherwise they will eat it!

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  8. We had a mini-Rex that lived eight years and eight months; he roamed in our small backyard during the day, but we chased him into his cage at night. I got a little emotional thinking about him. Anyway, yes, when we spend time with our Heavenly Father, “He will take great delight in you…will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

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  9. Growing up, my brother, sister, and I each had a cat that was technically our own. My brother and sister’s cats were cuddly and jumped at the chance to curl up and sleep on any cuddly lap that was available, purring away and enjoying pats. My cat on the other hand, generally only acted that way towards me, and only sometimes. Later in his life, my cat became more receptive to cuddles and from more people than just me, but he still sought me out more than others even though I was around less as I’d left home for study. I often wonder if it was because instead of expecting my cat to receive the affection that was offered, I would lie on the the floor near him and wait, leaving it up to him to decide whether he wanted to hang out or not. Just because I offered did not make it an obligation for him to receive the affection.

    Every interaction involves at least two parties, right? God seeks relationship with us, but we still have to receive His love, and reciprocate by seeking relationship with Him too.

    Thank you for sharing your story, and offering an opportunity to share one of our own. 😊

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    1. I enjoyed reading about yours too, so very much! It once again causes me to reflect on how amazing it is, the way God can speak to us through our pets. There really is so much to learn, every day! Your kitty sounds like a very special animal. 🙂

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