God Is Good!

It is the simple things that bring my life so much joy.  Those simple things are the animals we bring into our family.  Earlier this year we had to put our beloved bunny down.  As you can imagine it was a sad day in the Archibald home.  When we put that bunny down, we remembered all we went through with him and felt as if we were putting all those memories down with our Daisy-Doodle.  Sorrow remained in our hearts, and a yearning in my heart grew more and more for another bunny.

I look through my journal and see conversations I was having with God, laying my heart before him and confessing the reasons I wanted another bunny, but then trusting him in his infinite wisdom to do what was best.  But every corner I was looking to see he was saying yes. 

We went into a new store, Duane wanted to explore.  I came around the corner of the aisle and there was a troft and in it...the last bunny!  It also had the lopped ears I was hoping for!  I looked at Duane ... and he looked at me, knowing he just couldn't say no to me once again.  And now my yearning was filled ... or was it?

This year seems to be a year of hardship for us.  Everything seems to be breaking down around us:  car (a couple of times), appliances, home repairs, yard stuff and the list goes on.  Also I am learning that the older your children become the more expensive are the needs.  So needless to say we have been watching every penny that comes and goes through our home.  So when the summer came with all its repairs, it also opened a door of guilt as I contemplated "Did God give me my hearts desire or did I choose this bunny and the expense that came with it?".

Duane took me away for a much needed retreat for the two of us.  We didn't go far, but just needed that time alone.  The phone rang, and it was clear that our bunny who was only months old was at the vet's office and needing emergency care.  I let it all go, as I knew Duane could take care of it.  But then the next day when the vet called me, it was then I heard this was life or death.  It was asked how much we want to invest in this bunny.  It was then, I had to let our bunny go.  I knew I made a decision on my heart about this bunny, not God's in the first place and knew I had to give her back to him.  But in that knowing I took on shame, and even a deserving of punishment for it. 

We picked up our lifeless bunny on the way home, seeing she wasn't eating, drinking and hearing her gasp for air.  Instead of waking to death the next morning as we expected, we awoke to a bunny that was still with us.  And in the few days that followed, we saw a  HUNGRY and very enthusiastic bunny who couldn't get enough of each of us. 

I then realized that God loves the littlest desires of our hearts.  And I think he loves those desires because it is those desires He can show how GREAT he is.  He takes that shame, dusts it off and restores us with fulfillment and makes it all OK.  He showed me the desire of my heart wasn't a bunny but instead God to fulfill the emptiness I was experiencing.  I see today as we hold our newest member of our family and see how he redeemed what was probably not the best decision we made, and made it good and even brought our family closer to Him through it!