Run After Him

My two-year-old enjoys reading The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. We’ve had it in board book form since my oldest was little, and all of my children have enjoyed searching for the little bunny that’s hiding in the pages. Cute story, I often thought, until its timeless truth became real to me.

 

This fall, I’ve had to deal with a lot of anger issues with my son now ten years old. During one recent difficult conversation, he was angry about something and declared that he was going to run away. Tired and frustrated, I wanted to say, “Go ahead. Run away.” Although this would have been a natural response, I decided to react against my feelings, instead saying like the mother bunny, “I’ll come after you.”

 

“You won’t find me,” he said, still angry.

 

“I’ll find you,” I said.

 

“I’ll hide in the woods,” he replied.

 

“I’ll call the FBI,” I said.

 

“They won’t find me.”

 

“They’ll find you,” I answered. “And I’ll be there with them.”

 

Suddenly, his countenance changed. His face relaxed and his anger disappeared. He seemed relieved, relieved to know that I wouldn’t let him go, that I would search and search until I got him back, relieved to know that I valued him so much I would do whatever it took to find him. He felt safe and secure in the knowledge that he was precious and worthwhile to me. While his reaction surprised me, it shouldn’t have. After all, isn’t that the same kind of love that first brought us to Jesus?