It is hard to remain a distant observer when a rabbit brings his nose quite this close. His white face and brown-and-gray cheeks fill the view, turning a simple approach into an encounter with a wonderfully direct little personality. There is something disarming about curiosity that closes the distance so completely.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”
James 4:8 (KJV)
James offers this invitation within a call to humility and repentance. Drawing near to God involves bringing our conduct and motives into the light, including the divided loyalties we would rather leave unexamined. The promise of closeness belongs alongside that call to honesty: we are invited to approach God with a willingness to be changed.
The rabbit’s eager approach gives us a playful image of coming near. For us, the first movement may be quieter—an honest prayer, an admission we have postponed, or a decision to repair something our actions have damaged. We can begin before we have found perfect words, while taking seriously what that beginning asks of us.
Closeness grows through the attention we give and the truth we are willing to face. Lord, help us come to you with undivided hearts, ready to receive your mercy and respond to it in the way we live.