Faithful Through the Year: April Edition

Faithful Through the Year: April Edition

Title: The Case of the Pesky Rabbit
Theme: Rising Again – New Life, Second Chances, and Unseen Blessings
Scripture Focus: John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”

Story: The Case of the Pesky Rabbit

Clara Fairweather wasn’t in the mood to fight with a rabbit, but there she was on Easter Monday morning, broom in hand, standing off with the puff-tailed menace under her lilac bush.

The rabbit had taken up residence in her backyard—precisely where she planned to host the church’s sunrise breakfast. It had chewed through the pansy beds, dug three holes near the tulips, and nibbled on her hand-painted “He is Risen” sign. Clara didn’t want to call it evil, but the timing was suspicious.

Sheriff Grady wandered by on his morning patrol and chuckled at the sight. “You planning to arrest him, Clara?”

“I’ve got a warrant for destruction of beauty,” she grumbled. “And for chewing the leg of Ben’s garden bench.”

Ben, who had been repairing that very bench in her backyard, looked up from his seat with a grin. “Maybe he’s just drawn to resurrection themes. Tulips rise again, after all.”

Clara sighed, lowering her broom. Maybe she’d lost her cool a little. She had put so much into this Easter morning event—wanted it to be perfect. After the year the town had had, they needed hope. And she thought it was her job to deliver it just so.

That evening, the rabbit came back. But this time, he wasn’t alone. Clara, watching from her kitchen window, saw four smaller bunnies hopping out behind him, venturing shyly into the grass.

New life. She stared, heart softening. Of course. That’s what this day was about—not perfect plans, but the quiet, mysterious ways life returns, even when things look ruined.

Reflection Prompt:

When have you seen new life rise up where you least expected it?
Have there been places in your life that felt “dug up” or ruined that later bloomed?

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes I try to make life perfect, forgetting that resurrection rarely comes in tidy packages. Remind me that You bring life in surprising ways—in gardens, in disruptions, and in messes I can’t control. Help me notice the beauty of Your work, even when it arrives on tiny, mischievous paws. Amen.

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