Knit Together

On Saturday!

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown is a classic children's book that many of you are probably familiar with. I bought a copy at the consignment sale I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. It was stuffed in a bag amongst a few Touch and Feel Animals books and a Dear Zoo lift the flap book. It should have been placed on a stand with a spotlight shining on it. After pulling it out of the catch all bag, I read through it, dabbing my eyes the whole time. Let me just say, this is a deep one, folks.

The author is Margaret Wise Brown who brought us Goodnight Moon. The characters, mother and baby bunny, are the same in both books. The illustrations are interesting, alternating between black and white and bright colors. As you read through this book, you will find that Ms. Brown beautifully captures how we feel about our children. Here is an excerpt:

"Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, '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.' "

I'm not sure if Ms. Brown is a Christian or if she meant this book to be an allegory of God's love for His own, even the rebellious ones. But, as I read this book to Sophia through the years I want to share with her that mommy and daddy love her just like mommy bunny loves baby bunny in the book. But we are not the only ones who love her that way. Her Father in heaven does too. And what is so wonderful about God is that, unlike her mommy and daddy, He will love her and has loved her perfectly (Romans 5:6-8). That if she, like baby bunny, tries to run from her Father, she will find the words of King David to be true:

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you." Psalm 139:7-12

Sweet baby girl, I pray that you, "being rooted and established in love, may have power, together will all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19

And sweet Sophia, I hope you will decide to "just stay where you are and be my little bunny." And I promise to feed you as many carrots as your heart desires!