When we departed from the rental home after our family gathering, we didn’t realize my ten-year-old granddaughter’s childhood bunny had been left on the couch. We were hours away before Leena, with great concern, noted her bunny wasn’t with us. Her mother gave it to her prior to deploying overseas eight years earlier, so it wasn’t just another bunny. It was a very special one.

As we pulled into the gas station, we searched the car one more time. I then sent a frantic text to the homeowner of the rental. Minutes later, a reply indicated the bunny had been located. They would pop it in the mail the next week. Tremendous relief swept over all of us, knowing it would only be a matter of time before there could be a reunion.

The days went by, and no package arrived. I made another call, only to learn it hadn’t been sent yet. Again, relief. At least it hadn’t been lost in the mail. This time I left instructions to please include a tracking number. Although it was irreplaceable, the number would at least assure it could be located.

Still, it didn’t arrive. When I looked up the tracking number, it indicated it had been left on the doorstep, three days ago! Grief swept over all of us, knowing the devastation Leena would feel if her bunny had been stolen or lost. My daughter-in-law began searching anywhere it might have gotten left, and checked the neighbor’s security camera. Meanwhile I prayed.

Not long after, the phone rang. Seeing my daughter-in-law’s phone number, my hopes were lifted. She sounded breathless as she explained she’d gone to the next street over, which had the same house number and sure enough, the box sat on the porch, as if waiting to be claimed. Sorrow turned into celebration as she took the box home and presented it to Leena, who was beyond joyous to have her long-lost bunny.

As I praised God for His miracle, I thought of how excited Leena must be. What a testament of God’s faithfulness to a little girl to have found her most precious bunny. Only God could have kept a lost bunny safe on the wrong porch for three days. What a perfect opportunity for Leena to understand how extraordinarily happy God is when one of His lost children returns to Him.

In life, sometimes we find ourselves lost or on the “wrong porch”. We think we’re married to the wrong person, have the wrong job, or the wrong boss. Or we might find, through a series of poor choices, we are simply in the wrong place, much like the prodigal son after taking his inheritance and blowing it. When the prodigal realized he was in the wrong place, he returned to his father, ready to be his slave. Instead, his father welcomed him back as his son. Luke 15:24: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate.” (ESV).

No matter how wrong things are in life, one thing is always right: God! He always knows where we are. We are His precious treasure, even more than a lost bunny is to a heartbroken child. No matter how “wrong” things are, God can make it right, and no matter how long or how far we’ve gone from Him, He is ready to welcome us home and celebrate when we return to Him.