"What Are You Chasing?"

Last weekend I went on a much needed girls retreat with my Sojourn ladies to a cabin in Pigeon Forge. It was pure bliss. We had amazing food (junk food included!), played a crazy game in which I have a love/hate relationship with, had great conversation,  and worshiped through an insanely good study and discussions. It was the definition of retreat and I had no idea just how much I needed it until the ride home...

I don't know about you, but riding in a car makes me think. I can't tell you why, but my mind goes 90 miles a minute (If I'm not sleeping!).  Maybe it can be traced back to my childhood...my Mom and I would have deep discussions while running errands, and still do! Now Kyle and I have some of the deepest and most meaningful conversations in our car. So naturally, I was thinking away on our ride back. The question, "What are you chasing," from our study, Chase, kept coming to my mind. All of my answers could be summed up with one word-- perfection.

                            *picture from http://www.rachelpapo.com/images/perfect/

We all want to be good at whatever we do, but sadly we have adopted our society's perception of success and taken it into every aspect of our lives. Perfection. I just cringe at that word. Even the majority of churches expect this. It has made us selfish. It has made us fake. It created the "I'm doing great, how are you," society. I'm not on the end of the spectrum, saying that we shouldn't care how we perform at work, or not care about being the best friend, sister, wife, husband, mother or father, etc. that we can be...I'm saying we shouldn't be obsessed with being perfect. 

From a Biblical perspective, the Bible is full of flawed ordinary people that God used in amazing ways. They were a far cry from being flawless and even continued to mess up! David was an adulterer and murderer. What makes us any different? We mess up too. For those of us who are Christians, we need to be reminded that even though we were created to be perfect, we live in a messed up world. We are messed up! Even our friends who don't believe, or don't believe the same as us, would more than likely affirm our imperfectness. Jennie Allen, author of Chase, said we were all built to chase...we all have a hole in us and we're looking to fill it. Look inside you and around you...this is so true. All the earthly things we chase will only feel good and last for a short while, then we're off chasing something else. What's so awesome, is that God wants to fill that hole, even though we're flawed and messed up. Even though we chase other things, but him. Ephesians 1:4-6 says,

"In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." 

To me, this is mind-blowing. We were not chosen for who we were, but because we were loved! So that word I've been using a ton...we don't have to be that!  We cannot change God. We cannot change others. But, He can. Even in our doubts, He can! So, be honest with yourself and with others. "What are you chasing,"...Legalism? Wealth? Attention? All the answers? Maybe you're not even chasing anything...not sure what to believe. Recognizing those things is huge! Recognizing helps us seek. You know what's comforting...even in those moments, we are equipped and loved. I can't help but think about the scene in Home Alone where Kevin faces his fear and yells, "Hey! I'm not afraid anymore! I said, I'm not afraid anymore! Do you hear me? I'm not afraid anymore!" Even though he went inside scared, he still faced it. That's totally me right now. I'm not afraid anymore! Even thought I'm sure I'll have moments of fear, I can still say that I can step off my pedestal, not be afraid of failure, and start really chasing what matters- Him. 

*If you're interested in Jennie's Study, Chase, here is her blog :) 

http://jennieallen.com/blog/