Chasing Jesus

Chasing Jesus.

Those two words roll around in my mind and on my tongue like honey.

As soon as I gather my thoughts around those two words, I can almost hear his rustling robes and smell the warm, dusty Mediterranean air. No wonder crowds followed him wherever he went. Life was with him and Life went forth from him. "Stay near that man!" my heart sings.

But then I get on with my preferred activity.

The other day I blogged about Chasing Pharisees. And the truth is, I do it an awful lot. In the blog I dealt mostly with the action of chasing Pharisees. I used to do that pretty regularly, but have wised up a bit on that score in recent years.

The problem is, I still do it in my head all the time. What I no longer indulge with my body and tongue I continue to nurture in my thoughts.

Words fail me as I contemplate how many hours and days of cumulative wasted time I have spent chasing Pharisees in my head. Winning arguments. Pointing out errors. Watching evildoers squirm. Conducting scathing interviews with people who aren't even part of my life anymore.

Chasing Pharisees.

It's a bitter game with a bitter taste – and my spirit becomes bitter within seconds when I indulge the poisonous thought pattern.

Chasing Jesus is so much better. So much better. When I place the two phrases side by side, it is nothing short of amazing that I waste my time entertaining the alternative. I might as well say that chasing death is preferable to chasing Life.

Or I might as well say that I prefer to look backward than to look forward. When I chase Jesus, I am running forward after the one who can give me Life... Life Abundant! When I chase Pharisees, I am returning back to those who by my reckoning have been taking life and poisoning hearts. As a dog returns to vomit... Why would I want to do that?

I don't know. But I do it in my head every day. Not a day goes by when I don't reminisce and re-live a painful experience with someone who hurt me. Once I enter that rabbit hole, it's usually several minutes before I come back out – and it is amazing how much life can get sucked out of me after so short a time. A few minutes of poison can leave me heart-sick for hours.

Chasing Jesus. It's equally amazing how much Life can seep into me when I spend those spare minutes in fellowship with the Lord of Life. I know this because every now and then I get it right – and rapturous joys are indeed available when we turn our eyes upon him and conduct real conversations with the Lover of our Souls and the Lord of our Life. Periodic conversations like that can redeem the whole day.

Chasing Jesus!

And the best thing is?

Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus like to be caught.