I have asked Aunt Angela to be my guest writer today and share her verse of the day.
Good Morning Nieces and Nephews,
I John 5:3, “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”
Around Easter time, I decided to take our kids to the pet store to see all the cute bunnies and chicks. Before going I made them promise they would not even ask to bring any animals home. I should have made that promise myself because when I saw those cute little bunnies, I convinced myself that our albino rabbit Marshmallow needed a friend, and we came home with Marble, a cute floppy-eared black and white bunny!
To allow the pets some adventure beyond their cages, we have a small playpen in our backyard. We put the two bunnies in it to get to know each other. While they were munching on grass and hopping around, we got distracted with other things, and before long, Marble had hoped through the bars and came around the house to our front door! I realized that she was too small to be left alone in the playpen without supervision.
So, every morning, I started letting the bunnies hop in the playpen while I would sit on our back porch and keep an eye on them while doing my reading. With all the hawks, dogs, and coyotes around our place, I have to make sure to put Marble quickly back into the safety of the playpen boundaries if she ventures out.
While watching them one morning, I began thinking of the protective boundaries God has placed around our lives. I realized we are not like Marshmallow, who is forced to stay in the playpen because she is too big to fit through the boundaries. We are more like Marble who is able to hop out.
At anytime we can step out of God’s secure, safe, loving boundaries and venture out in our own direction. Yet, just like I’m watching close by on my porch, ready to redirect Marble, God is never far from us. We never leave his eyes-view. He’s ready to rescue and save us.
Oh how our enemy is like those hawks that want to lure us out into the open to swoop down and devour us . . . all the while making us think that we are experiencing “freedom.” True freedom is recognizing that God loves us and every command (boundary) that He gives us is for our good and the honor of His Name.
I have a feeling that next Easter I may be doing the same thing – buying another bunny and another cage. I wouldn’t think of getting a pet without getting a home for him. Funny how we don’t argue that cages and crates are in the best interest of our pets, yet all too often look at God’s boundaries for our lives as restrictive. May our perspective be in line with God’s Word so that we know the benefits of choosing God’s ways and let His truths set us free!
Love,
Aunt Angela
Angela Henderson, my sister-in-law, is a former English teacher and now mother of three: Christian (8), Victoria (6) and Andrew (2). She resides in Dallas, Texas. Recently, she has started a blog featuring children’s books where she includes a review and activities, questions and crafts that correlated with each selected book. Her blog site is
www.kidsbookfriends.com and her Facebook Page is Kidsbook Friends. We invite you to subscribe via e-mail on her blog site or Like her Facebook Page to get creative reading ideas to do with your kids.
Beautiful reflection on the fatherhood of God. Insights like this only come from having experienced His corrective, protective hands. Thank you for directing my gaze to Him.