Page 36 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 11 December 2024

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A LOVE STORY

B Y PETER S T OFFBERG

t’s not the first time it’s happened, but this time,
saying “no” wasn’t as easy. Huge dark eyes blinked up
Iat me, one look derailed all rational capacity.

“Take her home for your children,” urged my friend.
“Perhaps I should,” was my first thought, followed sharply
by “how can you think like that?”
I’ve turned down adopting a rabbit before, but a baby
rabbit, this baby rabbit, just a bit bigger than my hand,
put a whole new spin on things. We found her in the
Church garden, and within minutes, everyone in the
office was scrambling to provide water, food and
whatever else we could think of to make her comfortable
and secure.
I was still arguing with myself. “Gus the cat is going to
eat her and leave the kids distraught”, “it’s going to
escape” and “it will destroy our garden”, but just when I
had myself dissuaded, I looked at her eyes and that little
twitching nose, and had to start all over again.

After a few calls to possible foster-owners, we took a
trip to the pet shop to buy a bag of gourmet bunny food.
They offered to take her, but after we discovered some
freshly clotted wounds under her fur, that was no longer
an option. More people got involved, texts and calls were ON SITE SUNDAY SERVICES @ 9h30
flying and finally late in the afternoon, a couple told us
about an animal rescue facility and provided a cash www.familychurch.online
donation. By God’s amazing grace, I got there just in time DAINFERN COLLEGE AUDITORIUM
to catch the vet who only visits the facility once a month.
The rabbit’s wounds matched owl claws. The vet (who Why did a bunch of people go to such lengths to save
has a particular fondness for bunnies) surmised that one insignificant little bunny - from those who found her,
she had struggled free from an owl’s grip and had fallen, fed her, donated money and got her to the vet, to the vet
quite miraculously, into the Church garden where she who treated her free-of-charge and adopted her. Why
managed to hide away until we found her. Having fallen does Manna’s story so warm and encourage us?
for the rabbit, the vet not only treated her, but insisted on
adopting her and naming her “Manna”. Perhaps we love a rescue. Perhaps somewhere deep
down it resonates with our soul.

Think about the lengths that God went to, in becoming
human in the person of Jesus, and giving His life to
rescue even the most insignificant of us, so that He could
adopt us as His own.
There’s a parallel.

I wonder if that’s why we’re so desperate to extend the
same kind of love, even if it’s to a bunny?

34 DPL issue 11 2024