Chasing
By Lexi Ellis
“For You have been
my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.”
Psalm 63:7-8 (NASB)
I
recently read the words of an actress discussing turning 40 years old. She
said, “The trick for me turning 40 was to really evaluate what I wanna do with
this next phase in my life…The one thing I don’t wanna do is chase what I
looked like at 20.”[1]
I
think of actresses who very clearly “chase” what they used to look like through
plastic surgery. We roll our eyes at it, but think of the multi-billion dollar
industries that thrive on our chasing what we used to look like. Think of the
money and resources we spend to change - - desperately chase - - in an attempt to
recapture what used to be.
The
more I thought about it, the more I saw how silly it is on paper. Why chase
something that’s gone? Why spend the time and money desperately trying to look
20 when you’re not? How foolish to chase something that isn’t now obtainable.
And
yet, I do the same thing. What do I chase instead of God? What do I desperately
run after in my life that isn’t obtainable? I chase control. I chase
consistency. I chase my plans. I chase my way. I chase my timing. I chase
outcomes I want.
These
things I chase aren’t for my best. They’re not obtainable if I want to serve
and love others like Jesus did. They’re not things I can dwell on if I’m about
advancing the Kingdom. The things I’m chasing, the things I’ve built my
security on, are distractions and obstacles to fully surrendering to Him.
Instead
of chasing things of this world, how would my life look differently if I
intentionally chose to chase after my Creator? What kind of words would I use
differently if I was continually chasing God’s will? What kind of attitude
would I have if I strove to chase my Savior? The best part about chasing God instead
of my own agenda is that it’s a drastically different result, as in, it’s an
obtainable relationship.
The
petty things I chase affect my relationship with God because they consume me. They
reveal my selfishness. I need to deliberately choose to chase God, to choose to
cling to Him like the psalmist David does in Psalm 63. This actress realized
chasing something unobtainable like younger looks is foolish.
May
we see the insignificant things we chase and choose to make a shift so we find
ourselves chasing Him.
GOING DEEPER:
1. What worldly things are you chasing?
2. What do
you need to do right now to chasing your God?
FURTHER READING:
Lexi recently married Andrew, serves with Children’s Ministries at Oakwood, and is a fourth grade teacher at Lake Country Christian Academy.
