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A Hare Raising Experence

There are some programs that I have done so many times I know I could do them sound asleep. It�s a good thing that I know them so well but it can also be a bad thing if I don�t keep in mind what I�m doing and why. Let me tell you about a time when I was totally NOT paying attention.

I was scheduled to do an all school assembly program at an elementary school. They had requested my ââ?¬Å?self esteemââ?¬Â program. No problem, I have that one down pat. The day came; I loaded the van and took off with all of the confidence in the world. There was nothing to be nervous about. I had allowed enough travel time and everything was right on schedule. So there I was, driving along thinking about everything in the world except the program I was about to do.

I always allow a little extra time, 30 minutes or so, just to make sure I can find the place and not show up late. I have always tried to live by Vince Lombardi time ââ?¬â?? ââ?¬Å?if youââ?¬â?¢re not 15 minutes early, youââ?¬â?¢re lateââ?¬Â.

By now Iââ?¬â?¢m about 20 minutes to reaching the school. Keep in mind, I am 30 minutes ahead of schedule so I do have a little cushion. But, it is time to start thinking about the program and go over it in my mind as a refresher. I start to run down the list of things I will be doing mentally and I didnââ?¬â?¢t go far when I realized that I had forgotten to bring the one main thing that I use in the program ââ?¬â?? my rabbit. In this program, the rabbit is kind of a ââ?¬Å?runningââ?¬Â joke with a climax at the end. Without the rabbit, I donââ?¬â?¢t have a show. What in the world am I going to do now? I donââ?¬â?¢t have enough time to go all of the way back to the office. There arenââ?¬â?¢t any pet stores between me and the school. Iââ?¬â?¢m done for!

Well, let me tell you, it doesnââ?¬â?¢t take long to get caught up on your prayer life at times like this. I started praying HARD. ââ?¬Å?Lord, you know I need a rabbit. Any rabbit will do at this point. Help me find a rabbit FAST. Let me hit a rabbit with the van but not enough to kill it. Iââ?¬â?¢ve never used a wild rabbit before but today would be a good day to start. I donââ?¬â?¢t have any idea how to catch a wild rabbit but I will sure give it a try if you will point one out to me. Lord, you know I donââ?¬â?¢t have much time here. Direct me to a rabbit now.ââ?¬Â

As I drove I kept an eye out for Godââ?¬â?¢s provision. I donââ?¬â?¢t have any idea how all of this is going to turn out but if there is a rabbit out there somewhere, I need to catch it. By this time Iââ?¬â?¢m on a back country road and come to an intersection where I am to turn right to get to the school. I can see the school just around the corner. Good, at least now I know where Iââ?¬â?¢m going and know I will be there on time. So with the little ââ?¬Å?extraââ?¬Â time that I had allowed, I just need to find a rabbit. So I turn left and head down a dirt road.

I had only gone a quarter of a mile or so when I came to a farm house. Perhaps they have rabbits and would let me borrow one for a couple of hours? I pull into the driveway, jump out of the van and run to the door. Good thing that door was a sturdy one or my knocking would have knocked it down. A lady came to the door and I quickly introduced myself and made my request. She said they didn�t have any rabbits but said that if I go on down the road to the next crossroad (3/4 mile), then turn left and go another half mile or so, I would come to another farm. She thought that the people who lived there had some rabbits. I thanked her and took off like lightning.

The dust behind the van could be seen a long ways away I�m sure. I was making time as fast as I could. I was still praying and the clock was still ticking. Time was running out. I found the farm house that was described to me. Again I jumped out of the van, ran to the door and gave it a good pounding. Nobody came. I pounded again, still nothing. Maybe I�m at the wrong door? So I go to the door around back. My pounding produced the same results there. As I looked around I didn�t see any cars around. I wonder if that means that there isn�t anybody home? If there isn�t anybody here, they won�t know if I snoop around. After all, I really do NEED a rabbit. If I can find where they keep them, I can take one, do the program and put it back before these people even know it was gone. The rabbit will be fine and if by chance they are here when I bring it back, I�m sure they will understand.

Do you know you can pray anywhere, anytime and while you are doing your part to resolve a situation? I headed to the barn. I went all through that barn. I found lots of animals but not one rabbit. I went behind the barn, around the house and every other possible hiding place for a rabbit and found nothing. Bum, I only have enough time to get back to the school now. There isn�t time to search out another farm or anything. But not all is lost. I still have the two miles or so back to the school. There is still enough time to hit a rabbit or something. Well, isn�t there?

As I drove I kept one eye on the road and the other searched the ditch, fields and bushes for the rabbit that I was in hopes God was going to provide. Do you know something? When you really need a rabbit they just arenââ?¬â?¢t any to be found. It doesnââ?¬â?¢t really matter how bad you need one or how hard you look, there just aren’t any.

By now I�m trying to figure out how I�m going to do this program and cover for the fact that there isn�t a rabbit. What am I going to do for the big climax at the end? This 45 minute program is going to be about 15 minutes if I leave everything out that has to do with the rabbit. By now if I could have at least found a rabbit hole I would have crawled in it to hide.

I had never been to this school before so I really didn�t know where the office was so that I could report in. There was a circle drive so I took the first entrance I came to and parked in the first spot that was available. That also put me close to a door. When you don�t know where you�re going it really doesn�t matter which door you use.

The first classroom I come to as I enter the school had the door closed to it. On the outside of the door is a sign that reads, ââ?¬Å?Please keep door closed ââ?¬â?? rabbit looseââ?¬Â. When was the last time you saw a sign like that? Could this really be happening? Is there really a rabbit in this classroom? I stuck my nose to the glass in the door but all I could see was a bunch of kids. I knocked and one of the kids came to the door and opened it just a crack. I asked if there really was a rabbit in there. Before the kid could give me an answer the teacher was there. I asked the teacher the same question and as much as I know there is a God in Heaven that really does provide I was shocked with the answer. Yes, they have a pet rabbit that runs loose in the room. I asked if she thought the rabbit would like to be in the magic show today? She thought that would be a great idea and gave the command for someone to catch the rabbit. Up to this point I still hadnââ?¬â?¢t seen this bounteous provision that God had made.

It didn�t take the kids long to corner their victim and bring him to the door. As soon as I saw the rabbit I knew he would do just fine. Hey, at this point I would have been happy with a Guinea Pig. Now, had I been the one making the choice, this would NOT have been the rabbit I would have picked out. But I had asked God for a rabbit and He gave me this one and believe me, I wasn�t complaining. There was just one little problem, the rabbit wasn�t little. This guy was huge! I use a dwarf rabbit. This was a giant! Did I say he was BIG? I�m sorry, I should have said he was a giant. A huge giant at that. This boy wasn�t going hungry in that classroom. I hadn�t been specific with God. I had asked for a rabbit and He gave me an abundant one. I hope there isn�t a next time but if so, I will request a dwarf. That can�t be any more difficult for my God.

Do you know that when it comes to doing a magic trick, a 20 pound rabbit will fit in the same space that a 4 pound one will? He may not like it. He may not be able to move. But he WILL fit if you really need him to. My only fear all during the show was that the climax might be when I pull out a dead school mascot. Now that�s a reputation builder. You will have lots of kids as your friend after that.

Well, there must have been more room than I thought because there must have been enough room for him to breath. I wish you could have heard the cheers and screams of excitement when at the end of the show, here comes the school�s favorite classroom pet, the star of the show, live and well.

If you ever find yourself in need of a rabbit (or anything else), don�t hesitate to ask. You may have to do some frantic searching yourself and you may exhaust all of your options. You may get right down to the wire but do not give up. If God can provide me with a rabbit in my time of need, I�m sure He can do the same for you.

ââ?¬Å?And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.ââ?¬Â

Philippians 4:19

2 Thoughts added to “A Hare Raising Experence”

  1. Cal Olson Says:

    Thanks for reminding me of why when our bunny CJ passed away, we didn’t replace him. There’s a great deal of freedom in not having a rabbit. 😀

    Good to catch up with you, Sheldon!

  2. Sheldon Says:

    Oh ya, rabbits are nice but they do require a lot of attention. Shampoo is the star of our web site and loves to get visitors.

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