Tuesday, January 5, 2021

On Point

 

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

It happened again Saturday.  We were self-quarantining, so the much-dreaded putting-away of Christmas decorations was on the table.  Stuff had to be dragged up the ladder to be stored in the attic above the garage, so to get said ladder a small truckload of junk in front of the ladder had to be relocated.  Then, one noticed the car was in the way, so it had to be moved out.  Which revealed several yard tools that had never been returned to the garden shed.  While carrying those out of the garage I noticed the leaves covering the front yard, including the driveway.  So I dropped the tools off in the garden shed and returned with rake, blower, and leaf bags.  Putting away Christmas too early can be hazardous to your day of rest!

It was then the realization light bulb turned on; I was like a hound, tracking a bear, but changed directions when a deer scent crossed the path.  And then changed again when a cat's trail crossed the deer's...and changed one more time when he got a whiff of the mouse the cat had been hunting.  I was like a hound tracking a bear and wound up chasing a mouse.   It dawned on me that, somewhere in the long blue and red chain of my family's DNA, the bloodline must include hound.  That seems to be the only explanation for the way I start out to put away Christmas stuff and wind-up with forty million leaves in bags.   

Either that or, deep inside my psyche, my soul just can't let go of Christmas.   

Hunting-hound-unable-to-resist-multi-tasking-change-of-directions-syndrome is not limited to the tracking habits of canines (or, for that matter, preachers cleaning out the garage).  On a higher plane it is also a malady that afflicts followers of Jesus as we pursue our mission of seeking first the kingdom[1].  We start off to confess sin, live holy lives, and bring glory to God, aspiring to what Paul wrote to the church family in Rome.  He encouraged them to let God renew our minds, transforming us into a mighty witness for God’s way.  But we get distracted by minutiae which sidetracks us like a confused hound.  It may be criticism thrown our way, or a church power struggle.  But, more likely, it is just our natural fear causing us to resist the bending of our will to God's ways.  However it happens, we get off course, and the sad end-result is a child of God, bound for the kingdom, turning aside from the narrow path, winding-up staring at the mouse hole of this world's trinkets.  

Paul's admonition in Romans 12:1-2 becomes an all-important course-correction, reminding us of Jesus' words to not just set a priority of seeking God’s kingdom, but to keep on track.  Jesus taught that to his disciples; He said keep on seeking, keep on asking, keep on knocking[2].

For You Today

Hunting greater things requires staying on the path to which God has led us.  And doing that requires resisting other tempting distractions. 

So, if you’re like me, with hound in the DNA, stay on-point, following the greater path; let the leaves rest in peace and hang on to Christmas.  You’ve got a more important mission than watching mouseholes.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy  Pixabay.com

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on this text see The Great Divide - AND SO - Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3   



 

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