One of the movie series our family loves to watch right now is The Fast and Furious double trilogy. There is something about the action of cars moving fast pursuing each other as they drift around corners, jump over falling bridges, pull 20 ton safes through a city, and of course save the world from all that is bad. For me there is an adrenaline that kicks in when I watch movies like this, not because I don’t know how the movie is going to end or there is some unbelievable special effect, but because these actions awaken the part in me that was meant to pursue. Think about this, what is one of the first games you played as a kid, tag – simply a game where you chase each other to tag them. Need further proof – remember when you started to notice the opposite sex and when you played tag you no longer went after the slowest person, but the person that seemed cute to you (sometimes you would slow up just so the chase would last longer). We were made with a part of us that was specifically designed to pursue.
Unfortunately over time this component of pursuit has been damaged. Through disappointments of things pursued that didn’t end up well, misguided things to pursue, and untrained pursuit skills most of us either end up caging in our pursuit part of our lives or we fan it into flame and recklessly pursue everything and everyone. Damaged pursuit leaves us confused, hurt, and disillusioned.
Here is the Truth that has helped me. Pursue is defined as chasing after someone or something. I believe that the Bible says that we were created to pursue only one thing and that is God. Don’t check out. Stay with this. How have those things that you have pursued turned out for you? Were you happy for a minute, an hour, a week, a month, the length of the relationship, the length of the vacation minus the drive home, the len. When did the pursuit become empty, disappointing, unfulfilling?
When we pursue something other than what we were made for, we can end up twisting pursue to mean something that we are entitled to – why don’t people pursue me, why does everyone else have it easy, why don’t I get the credit – I have put in more work than other people. Pursuing the wrong things first, can also lead us to live a life of empty pursuits and frustrations with people, our lives, and ultimately God. Have you ever blamed God for the lack of feeling pursued in your life?
1 Timothy 6:11 has been a foundational cornerstone for me in these days of understanding and living in pursuit. “Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” In my days of pursuing a renovated house, a great marriage, a new job, the best possible life for my kids, I have fought a battle to keep this verse, this Truth at the center of my day. I don’t have all the answers but I know that when I stay focused on pursuing first what I was made to pursue – righteousness and a godly life – the other things that I want to pursue come into perspective – they either become easier to pursue or the desire to pursue them goes away.
What are you pursuing today? What shifts can you make to awaken or re-awaken the true purpose of pursuit?