Bunny "Kisses"

Our bunny is very temperamental when it comes to giving and receiving affection.  I recently observed that if I place my nose through the slats in his pen, he will come up and lick my nose as if giving me kisses.  I took the kids upstairs to show them this new trick.  Then our son tried it, and he received "kisses" from the bunny.  Our daughter tried multiple times to get the bunny to give her "kisses" but each time he refused, which is funny considering that our daughter probably loves this bunny more than any of us.  I had to explain to my daughter that the bunny isn't really giving us affection by licking our noses.  Instead, he just wants to use as a salt lick, and apparently our noses are saltier than hers.

When we first got the bunny, our daughter started having frequent nosebleeds.  Our nurse suggested that maybe she's allergic to the bunny, but our girl insisted that she would rather bleed every day for the rest of that bunny's life than give away the bunny.  She loves that bunny no matter how he treats her.  Sometimes he is sweet and loving, but more often, he flees, kicks, or scratches us when we have to pick him up to move him to/from his hutch or pen because that is the nature of a prey animal, especially a junior buck in the toddler to adolescent growth stages.  Unconditional love says I will love you no matter what!    At least with a bunny, we can trim or file his claws to reduce the severity and depth of his scratches.  After receiving scratches along both arms, we knew it was time for the grand opening of our in-house bunny spa.

Bunny's first pedicure

The Bible says that God set eternity in the hearts of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God is the Alpha & the Omega, so I think that means He placed His heart, a heart capable of loving unconditionally, in mankind.   Animals don't have God's heart, so this bunny isn't able to give/receive love like we can. So we can forgive our bunny when he rejects us.  But imagine how Jesus felt on the cross as He was despised, rejected, mocked, brutally beaten, and crucified by those who were created with the capacity and very purpose of loving Him.  Yet, even then, He poured our forgiveness.   

Luke 23:34 
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

How matchless is the love of Jesus! 

Psalm 36:7 
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.