Cautious Cottontails
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but wise. Ephesians 5:15 (NIV)
What good are rabbits? Well, by eating plants, they keep the plant life under control. They provide food for predators—especially bobcats. I bet you did not know that they are natural composters! Besides all that, they’re cute and make wonderful companions. Marianne Campbell (All God’s Creatures) shares a life lesson that is very helpful. She learned it from the bunnies. Imagine that!
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While hiking one morning at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in California, I spotted a cottontail rabbit. It was foraging on the side of the trail, its eponymous white tail barely visible beneath its hindquarters. I expected the bunny to frighten easily and dash away as soon as I came into view but it let me get within fifteen feet—although it remained alert and seemingly unafraid. I slowly pulled out my camera and snapped a few photos. But as soon as I moved closer, the composed cottontail hopped into the blackberry vines, where I could not follow.
Maybe its retreat to safety was due to instinct, or perhaps it was a result of experience with a human; whether instinct or experience motivated it, the rabbit wisely followed the tried-and-true path to keep safe.
Like the rabbit, experience has taught me many useful lessons in life. I don’t have to rely on my faulty human instincts, which are far less fine-tuned than those of a rabbit. Instead, God instilled within me the ability to learn, remember, and reason so I may carefully make wise decisions to ensure I’m kept safe both physically and spiritually. Careful decision-making applies to everything from safely driving my car to discerning whether an online sale is a scam or not.
The rabbit didn’t dash away from me in a panic. It calmly assessed the situation and acted accordingly. Likewise, I don’t have to panic when faced with potentially harmful situations. God has given me everything I need to make wise decisions. Both the cottontail and I benefit from being careful in how we live. As I open my Bible and mindfully put what I read into practice, I can grow in wisdom and discernment, keeping myself spiritually safe in a world that too often can lure me toward danger and away from the path with God.
Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation of the future only He can see. —Corrie Ten Boom
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Gracious and Glorious Lord, thank You for all the lessons You provide in nature. Please teach us to lean on You and not our instincts. AMEN.
Photo: Michael Johnston