It tells the story of two humans, Bea (Rose Byrne, Bridesmaids) and Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson, The Revenant), who fall in love and get married—despite the frequent chaos caused by a rabbit family that lives in Bea’s garden.

Safety or Adventure?
Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter Rabbit, based on the Beatrix Potter characters, have formed a makeshift family with Bea and Thomas. The other bunnies are pleased with their new family, but Peter (voiced by James Corden) struggles to fit in. He has always been a rabbit who loves mischief, and his new life isn’t exciting enough to suit him. He thinks the garden is “small potatoes,” so he leaves to find some adventure.

He ends up in the city, where he meets some shady characters. While they might not be the best influence on Peter, they enjoy his mischievous nature in a way his family never did. Peter loves the newfound freedom this exciting life provides, but when trouble arises and his family comes looking for him, Peter must decide how far he’s willing to go to discover who he really is.

Will Peter choose his family and the safety of the garden or will he decide that excitement and adventure are more important to him?

Out of Control
Peter Rabbit’s runaway tale echoes many people’s real-life stories. We might have grown up in a home where we felt like we couldn’t be our true selves. When we left home for the first time and had that initial taste of freedom, we might not have wanted it to end. We might have made choices that went against the values we were raised with, but we didn’t care. We wanted to be our own person and make our own decisions.

We wanted to be in control.

But all too often, that control isn’t real, at least not long-term. In the beginning, we feel powerful because we are in charge of our own lives, but it rarely lasts. One bad choice can snowball and grow into more bad decisions, leading us into a life we didn’t plan. We might wake up one day and realize that what started out as excitement and freedom have turned into a prison we’ve built ourselves. Our own bad choices can lead us into a substance abuse problem, financial or legal problems, or an estranged relationship with our loved ones. Even our relationship with God can be negatively impacted.

Coming Home
There’s a saying: “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates this perfectly (see Luke 15:11-32). A father had two sons. The younger asked for his inheritance, left home and spent the money on wild living. Soon, he found himself broke and hungry. He got a job feeding pigs, and he was so hungry, he wished he could eat their food.

Then he remembered that his father’s servants had plenty to eat. He knew he was no longer worthy to be called his son, so he decided to return home and beg his father to make him a hired servant.

But his father had been watching for him. When the man spotted his son in the distance, he ran to him and kissed him. He put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then he planned a celebration because the son he’d been waiting for had come home at last.

One Good Choice
This story shows us that it’s never too late to return home. With God, there’s no such thing as too far gone. No matter what mistakes we’ve made, He will always welcome us back with open arms. God forgives runaways and celebrates their return.

Like Peter Rabbit, we must decide who we want to be. But it’s not a one-time decision. If we’ve made bad choices in the past, it’s never too late to choose a better path. Because He wants a real relationship with us, God gives us the freedom to make our own decisions. We are free to accept Him or reject Him, but again, it’s not a one-time decision.

God loves us, and no matter how many steps we’ve taken in the wrong direction, He is always only one good choice away.