Morning Devotional

Morning Devotional
July 30, 2003
“Just Chasing His Tail”
by Don Emmitte


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I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven. (Philippians 3:12-14 NLV).

Have you ever watched a Greyhound Race? I’ve never been in person, but the other night while surfing some of the channels to find a program, I saw one. It must be very popular. Greyhound racing attracts huge crowds who enjoy watching the dogs run as fast as they can around a track. To keep the dogs running in the right direction, they are trained to chase a mechanical rabbit made of fur as it zips along the track in front of them. A man in the press box electronically controls the speed of the rabbit, keeping the rabbit just out in front of the dogs. The dogs are never allowed to catch up to it.

I read a story of a Florida track some year’s back. As a big race was about to begin, the dogs crouched in their cages, ready to go. At the proper moment, the gun went off. The man in the press box pushed his lever, starting that rabbit down the first stretch. As the rabbit made the first turn, however, an electrical short in the system caused the rabbit to come to a complete stop, to explode, and to go up in flames. All that was left was a bit of black stuff hanging on the end of a wire. Their rabbit gone, the bewildered dogs didn't know how to act. Several dogs simply stopped running and laid down on the track, their tongues hanging out. Two dogs, still frenzied with the chase, ran into a wall, breaking several ribs. Another dog began chasing his tail, while the rest howled at the people in the stands. Not one dog finished the race. ¹

Like racing greyhounds, people pursue their chosen rabbit. Humans need some reason for living, for running the race. What is your goal, your purpose in life, and your hope? What if it were taken away? Sadly, many chase an illusion, a mechanical rabbit of sorts, that ultimately turns out to offer no hope at all. But there is One who can give us lasting purpose, meaning, and hope. The Apostle Paul wrote, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me..." Like the old dog just chasing his tail, we find ourselves running for no apparent reason. Chasing shadows and pursuing empty vanities is the life of anyone who does not center their desire on the Lord. What are you chasing after these days?