“But to the Son He says: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” Hebrews 1: 8-9

Rabbit Trails

On a normal day, my husband and I like to start our mornings by reading a short devotional and then praying together. Over the years we’ve discovered if we don’t pull together early on, we are far more likely to fall apart by noon! All manner of disagreements can worm their way into our daily lives, and we definitely need every spiritual advantage we can muster. (I’m sure none of you have this problem..tee-hee)

One morning, we were having our prayers at the dining room table that overlooks the countryside, when suddenly I looked up and saw a big rabbit hop past the window. “Hey!”  I yelled. “There goes a rabbit! And look! Here comes another one!” Next thing we knew, there were three!

Ok, I admit, I’m easily entertained, but the whole thing got us off track, and soon my husband joined in with, “You know what they say about rabbits—they multiply!”

We chuckled at that and then I “hopped” in with, “I wonder if they’re good eatin’?” (After all, I hadn’t had breakfast yet.) Next thing you know we were really off on a genuine “rabbit trail.” Apparently, my husband says, that type of rabbit isn’t fit to be eaten. Oh, my.

Now you can see how easily we get off track at our house, can’t you? I know you’dall have done a better job of keeping on task, but as you know, some of us older folks have p-r-e-t-t-y short attention spans.

My prayer to God after this hare-brained rabbit trail was, “Sorry, Lord; are You mad at us for getting so sidetracked?” Perhaps like me, you may have grown up with a rather stern looking/acting earthly father, so it may be hard to see your heavenly Father differently. Personally, I have to fight the lie of God’s general sense of disapproval, with very few smiles. But I’m here to remind us that, because of the blood of Jesus, as a Believer, we are all approved! Praise the Lord! I know this in my knower, but have to remind myself often.

More than we know, God is smiling at us! He is genuinely on our side and gracefully acknowledges that we aren’t little robots that say every prayer perfectly, or stay on track even. I do know that the enemy of our souls can try to sidetrack us in very detrimental ways, and we have to be on guard in these areas, but God is a smiler! He’s the Author of the big grin, for crying out loud. Jesus wasand isanointed with the “oil of gladness and joy” (Hebrews 1:9)!

So the next time I see a rabbit hopping along the bunny trail, I’m going to remember that Creator God loves to watch with us, enjoying His creation. He smiles at our silliness and draws folks in with a loving glance, not a scowl of disapproval. Thanks be to God!

Dear Jesus, You amaze us with Your sweetness, Your power, Your lamb-like authority, that trumps all evil. May we draw on that to reach the world. Amen.