A full stretch after sleep can make a new day seem wonderfully unhurried. With his front paws reaching across the moss, the young rabbit gives himself a moment to wake before anything else begins. The softness of the scene lies in that brief interval when simply being awake is enough.
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.”
Psalm 3:5 (KJV)
Psalm 3 is a prayer spoken under pressure, traditionally linked to David fleeing from his son Absalom. Its peaceful reference to sleep comes from within trouble. Waking becomes a reason for gratitude because the psalmist recognizes that his life has been sustained through a night he could not fully control.
That background gives the rabbit’s easy stretch a deeper resonance. We may wake with unfinished concerns, yet the arrival of another day still gives us a place to begin. Gratitude can be as simple as acknowledging the strength we have for this morning, however modest it feels.
Before reaching for everything that needs our attention, we might allow ourselves one quiet breath of thanks. Lord, thank you for carrying us into this day. Help us meet its responsibilities with steadiness and receive its small pleasures with open eyes.