Chasing After the Wind

Shopping has never give me much of a thrill. In order to do it at all I have to be fortified by a good breakfast, have on comfortable shoes and have a written promise from whomever I go with that we are not going to lazily stroll through the mall, we will not be looking in every store, we will be out in an hour and we will conclude our time with lunch. But every now and then I grudgingly give in to one of our daughter's who has lovingly invited me to meet her at the mall for some girl time. The girls know the drill...move fast, keep Mom hydrated and fed, and know when it's time to leave!

"Why", you might ask, do I have such an aversion to a treasured national past-time? Let me explain... there really is a point to my ramblings!

We live in a day and age where we are being encouraged daily to re-invent ourselves. We're challenged by every possible source to evolve, try new things, be a new person, do whatever it takes to be happy and fresh.

There are certain realities that are guaranteed regardless of how hard we fight against them. For instance, growing older is a given. You have absolutely no choice in growing older. However, grappling with the changes of aging while trying to enjoy where you are and spending your time wisely is a variable. You do have a choice as to how you will travel through those realities.

Battling against the inevitable is an exhausting, unsatisfying, frustrating, never won fight. It’s like chasing the wind. We understand the uselessness of chasing the wind, sort of. But if someone writes a book called, How I Chased the Wind and Caught It, we will probably line up with all the other chasers and buy that sucker with the hopes that maybe the wind is worth chasing.

I’ll be honest with you, I’m a chaser. Always have been, always will be. My parents were chasers, their parents were chasers, and down the line... If we go to the beginning of mankind, we know that Adam and Eve were chasers too. I’ve chased after tons of things hoping there would be enough satisfaction and substance to them, that once found, would sustain me. I won’t bore you with a list of the various things I’ve subscribed to throughout my life anticipating they would bring me joy and fulfillment. However, being a chaser isn’t all bad. It’s what you pursue that makes the difference.

Paul says in Hebrews 12:1, “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…consider him…so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

God wants us to chase after him. But, unlike chasing the wind, the Bible promises that God loves those who love him and those who seek him will find him. He's definitely worth the chase.