POV Wednesday – Chasing Your Tail

In September, my mom and Jay got a new puppy – Samson. He’s just a little tyke. I’m partial to big dogs, but this tiny one has made a mighty impact worthy of his name.

One of the things he does that totally cracks me up is chase his tail. Twirling and growling, he makes monumental efforts to catch that spry, white-tipped wagging thing.

Dogs have been doing this for centuries, of course, but for some reason it amuses me that it hasn’t gone out of style in the canine world. It’s so amusing.

I suppose from Samson’s POV, his tail is both catchable and something worthy to be caught.

Sometimes he succeeds. I can’t tell if the look on his face is a victorious one or communicating a mite bit of disappointment.

I wonder if there is anything in my life like Samson’s tail that I’m chasing, under the full belief that whatever it is, it is both obtainable and worthy to catch. But more often than not, I’m just spinning in circles wondering at the same time why what I want seems just out of reach.

We chase lots of things in life. The chasing isn’t in and of itself bad. But chasing can easily lead to craving/worshipping, and that’s idolatry. Fine line, sure. Entirely possible, though. Easily possible actually.

Personally, I know I waste a lot of energy chasing my tail because my focus is on the world and all the pursuits it wants me to crave. When I don’t catch them, I get discouraged at first and that quickly leads to coveting and then I start feeling sorry for myself. All of which is so tiring and stressful.

Peace comes only from focusing on God and what He has planned for our lives. (Isa. 26:3) Sometimes that means waiting. Waiting is hard, and if you’re a doer, chasing your tail at least gives you something to do. Being still and knowing God is God almost seems like a waste of time. But the opposite is true.

So, in the days to come, I’ll try to leave the tail chasing to Samson. He’s cuter doing it anyway. When I do it, I just look plain silly.

What are you chasing?

Happy Wednesday, Dry Ground friends!

(photo by Yours Truly)