Silly Rabbit

I want to share with you an old story about a rabbit hunter.

One day, the hunter was out in the woods when a rabbit ran right past him and collided with a tree stump, knocking itself unconscious.  The man could not believe his good fortune as he put the rabbit in his game bag.   And from that day forward, he gave up everything he had learned about hunting and came back and watched the stump, waiting for this to happen again. 

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, right?

It seems so obvious to those on the outside when our attention is focused on the wrong thing to reach the goal we desire.

Sometimes ministry feels like the rabbit hunter: We are invested in things large and small that are not producing results.  Social justice work can feel this way.  But, like the hunter, we have skills.  The big question is “Will we use them?” 

What could your gifts bring to change a situation?  

I had a dream two nights ago that I was trying to ride my bike somewhere. I pushed and I pulled on the pedals.  They turned but I was going nowhere. I got off the bike and realized that the chain was not connected to the gears.

I remember thinking (in the middle of dreaming it) what a great metaphor!  Sometimes we have to get off the bike to know why we aren’t making progress.

And the work we all want to be engaged in is the kind that when we put forth our time and talent, energy and resources, we move ahead, we contribute to the stream of life.