“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6 NKJV)
“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. Blessed you shall be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out” (Deuteronomy 28:2-6 ESV)
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33 BSB)
“For as you know him better, he will give you, through his power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us.” (2 Peter 1:3 TLB)
Have you ever noticed how most people are running ninety miles an hour chasing things trying to fill up their cup? The goal is to get everything that I can, thinking that somehow that is going to give me the “Good Life.” You may have heard the little saying, “Get all you can, can all you get, and then sit on the can.”
If I can just get that bigger house, then things will be great. If I can just get that better job, then I will be happy. If I can just find the right partner, then life will be grand. And the list goes on…
Somehow we think that if we can somehow get the right position, place, people, or stuff in our lives we will experience the peace and joy that we so desperately desire. If I just chase after “it” a little harder, and go for “it” a little longer, I will get “it” and then I’ll have it made! Really?
Here’s the bubble buster, when I get “it” I still don’t have “it.” Or even worse, I finally burn out and give up and then hobble on broken, discouraged, and disillusioned (been there, done that). But wait, there is light at the end of the tunnel (and it’s not an on-coming train).
I have found that most of us who spend an extended amount of time and effort chasing things wake up one day and decide that it’s just not going to happen. Then I am faced with a choice, “Am I going to keep going, or give up?”;”Am I going to see my cup half empty, or am I going to see it half full?”. I have found an option that beats both of those.
Stop chasing after everything and let it start chasing after you. The Bible clearly promises that when I chase after my Daddy (my heavenly Abba Father) by chasing after His Word (faith and obedience to His clearly revealed desire and design for me) then all of the good things of life will chase after me. In the New Testament I am told that as I seek first the Kingdom and righteousness all things that I will ever need will be added (given) to me. I am told that goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Because the Lord is my shepherd (He cares for me) I shall not want. I have been promised the “Good Life,” it’s not something I have to exhaust myself to somehow achieve.
When I realized that my cup was overflowing I stopped chasing to no end. I stopped trying to determine if it was half empty or half full. I have now taken my eyes off “it” and slowed down so that “it” can overtake me. I find my peace, joy, fulfillment, and complete blessing in Jesus and His Kingdom and am enjoying the Kingdom benefits that are already mine (forgiveness, healing, provision, satisfaction, youth, etc.).
The “Good Life” is mine when I take the advice of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 337: When I Stop Chasing Things, They Start Chasing Me