What kind of bunny are you?

Tis the season for all things chocolate. Chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter, chocolate eggs full of the rich creamy white and yellow center... You get the idea. Sunday in church I began to think about Easter treats and two types of chocolate bunnies. Some bunnies look perfect on the outside, but when bitten into are nothing but a thin chocolate shell. (I know, I know, insert "Your head has a thick candy shell on it." line here!) The devastation that is felt when you realize that your picture perfect bunny is nothing by a thin layer of chocolate that when melted is the equivalent of three Hershey Kisses. Contrasts these wafer thin disappointments with their decadent, full bodied relatives! Contrast the devastation that accompanies the empty hares with the elation brought about as a result of the dense long eared creatures.

The reason why I began to think about this while sitting in church was because of the sermon that was being given on prayer. Out pastor has been working through the Sermon on the Mount, and this particular sermon focused on how we should pray. Jesus paints a vivid contrast between those who pray to be seen and those who pray to commune with our Father/Mother in Heaven. Many choose to pray when it counts so that they can be seen as somehow more spiritual than their peers, however, Christ condemns this. What good is it to look perfect on the outside, but be hollow to your core? What value is it to offer up elegantly loquacious words in prayer when they are nothing but babel devoid of actual emotion? Jesus teaches that we are to pray in private where we can focus on God and take the time to truly fellowship with Him. It is the things that are done in hidden that make one's relationship with the Lord truly matter. It is the content of the inner person that truly matters, not only in prayer, but in all areas of our lives. God does not desire perfectly shaped cotton tails that are hollow to the core.

So I challenge you this Lenten season to evaluate not only your prayers, but also all areas of your Easter celebration. What type of bunny are you? Are you going through the routine and not really reflecting on what Lent and Easter are truly about? Think about the commitment of Jesus to his prayers in Gethsemane. When you pray this season do it not to be heard, but to truly communicate with our Savior who has given us the sign of Jonah on Easter weekend.