Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Chasing The Unicorn


Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”
He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.  Luke 22:39-43

Each month, I have set goals that help me measure what I am trying to achieve for the year.  Things like meeting with my manager and team members come to mind, and discussing both their and my progress throughout the year is very helpful.  Then I have family and personal goals that are set to ensure things done.  These goals over the course of life have changed quite dramatically.  Today, things like, “Love my wife better today than I did yesterday,” and “complete repair of screen window,” are what occupy my thoughts.  When I was younger, my goals were on more materialistic or things that I wanted to get for the wrong reasons.  You might know some of these phrases behind them:  “It gives me status.” “This makes me look better, and it shows I have arrived.”  Sometimes, those are not bad things, but the motives often are.  It’s not that we should not want things, but we should always ask ourselves, “At what expense?”  There is this expression called ‘Chasing the Unicorn,’ which in essence means running after something that does not exist.  We often do this in life wanting to gain something we do not have hoping it will fill a void that materially cannot be filled.

As followers of Christ, we should always know that only He can fill the voids that matter in our lives.  I chose these verses as an example of what we should aspire to in our walk of faith.  My original thought was that verse 42 (take this cup of suffering away from me) was enough.  However, the prior verses give it context.  Reading it a few times, it feels that Jesus is giving a pep talk not only for His followers but maybe even Himself.  I know!  Jesus needs no pep talk!  However, we all have that inner voice that chimes in to try to talk ourselves out of doing something because no one will notice.  Don't have that second piece of cake.  Do not spend the extra $50 a month on the car.  Keep God in that part of your life.  Feel free to insert that indulgence that you fight to avoid a pattern of poor judgment and behavior.  I have been there, and struggled in those moments.  That is why what Jesus says has such resonance in the context of these verses.  It’s not about what I (Jesus) want.  It’s about what you (Heavenly Father, Your will to be done) want.  Whenever we face something albeit literal or spiritual, we must pray that our minds, hearts, and spirit focus on God and not just our own wants in the process.  That was what Jesus did at the Mount of Olives.

God wants what is best for us.  There are times we will openly question Him.  We say, “Why not that, and why not now?”  However, over time we have learned not just through His word but also personally that He has always delivered.  For those of you newer in your journey, think of when God first came into your life.  You knew He was real then.  Trust that He will be that same God to you today as when you first committed to Him, and as time passes, your life will be as in Jeremiah 31:12; “They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts— the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone.”  Trust in God’s will and timing, and all things will work out right.  What anxieties are you experiencing today?  Where are you challenged to trust God’s timing over your own?  My prayer is that we know God will always provide, and let us not give in to ‘Chasing the Unicorn.’  Amen.

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