28,470 days, 683,280 hours or 2,459,808,000 seconds. I happen to be somewhere around 18,000 days. Did you figure it out? Those first three numbers represent 78 years of life, which is the average life expectancy currently in America.

Now, look at where I am at: approximately 18,000 days in. A very sobering thing to see! I am more than half way through my life and I am sitting here this morning asking myself all of these random questions: how will church go this morning, I wonder if more people will come today, I wonder why more people don’t invite others, I wonder when I will kick this sinus infection, mono and start sleeping better to begin to feel more like myself? I wonder what we will do for lunch today, seriously!

I am sitting here watching people at Starbucks thinking what’s next? My “what’s next” comes from my wondering of where are they going, what are they doing here so early and what are they about to go out and do. But then as I listen to all of the voices around me from the little guys to the parents I begin to know what is next. Many of these people are getting ready to go to a soccer tournament. These kids look energized and ready to go, yet the parents look like they need an IV of coffee and then maybe, just maybe they might be ready for the day. The kids are ready to go out and “chase” that win this morning. The parents are “chasing” the day currently, barely awake, not really willing to talk much and are looking at me the “very awake” guy tapping along with the music as if I am some alien being.

Then I think about all of the people I know, all of the people at my church and wonder what’s next? What are we all chasing? We all are “after something.” Sure, this would be a great spot to throw in some scripture, maybe even a mini sermon of sorts, but nope that feels too easy! Let’s dig a great big hole and look at what people (what we) might be chasing.
• Success
• Fame
• Money
• Wins
• Meaning of life
• The perfect / healthy body
• Power
• Perfection
• Youth
• Approval
• Friends
• Love
• Purpose
Not an exhaustive list, but enough here that I bet you can see yourself in the chase of at least one of these. So, as you chase this or that are you perhaps forgetting or neglecting something or someone? Example: you are chasing after that super fit body and the success at work. Great things to go after, but how much time are you spending in this chase, are you stealing time from your spouse and or family? Maybe you are chasing after your kids’ baseball dreams (your dreams too) and playing 3 games a week, practicing every day and tournaments on the weekend. Do you spend any time with God and your church or are you sacrificing this to chase that baseball dream?

Chasing too many things will cost you dearly. I have watched professional athletes chase after their dream and end up losing their spouse. I have watched people in ministry chase after a variety of things only to lose friends, family and even congregations.
You better watch out, you will be so caught up in chasing something that you might even lose yourself! Ever wake up wondering “what happened to me, I used to…” your “used to” is you have chased so many things that you are way off center now and just running through the daily motions of life.

The current world we live in actually has us all moving faster and chasing more. Technology has made so many things “easier” to obtain, listen to, watch, etc. that we are forgetting how to slow down.

There is a “fix” of sorts though, it’s called setting your priorities. Some people will find this hard to do. But, I dare you, no wait -I triple dog dare you – to sit down tonight and start examining what you are chasing, how you are chasing, the time being spent and really look at who / what might be getting left behind or even kicked to the sidelines. Talk with your husband or wife, talk with your family and get very real. I know you think your child is the “golden one” and will some day be a pro, maybe…but let’s be honest how many ends up in the “big leagues?” Running your kids everywhere, every day, running yourself ragged, is it worth it? Wouldn’t you prefer QUALITY time over quantity? Most of you will say quantity, thinking more time with kids is best. Only if you are really spending time with them and not just shuttling around, cheering from the sidelines, etc. Go for the quality – it will change your relationships for the better.

What about those of you chasing that career, power, approval, etc.? STOP! Set some real goals that not only make sense, but actually move you in your chase and you’re not that awkward bird in the sky stuck flying against the wind and not going anywhere! Remember that your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Chasing so much is really at times pointless and or useless. It just makes us feel good when we win the game, catch that ball, lose that pound, sign that next big client. But here is something deeper to think about: A book from the bible, Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, shares the following:
The words of the Teacher,[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.

Let those words sink in; running around like crazy, working countless of hours, sacrificing family and so forth – is it really worth it?
I do believe in one chase that is worth it and that is life changing, even life giving. CHASE God with all of your heart, mind and soul. Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So, what are you chasing? Why are you chasing? What can you do differently right now that will be a positive impact on your life and quite possibly those around you?

Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another. – John Muir