Chasing the elusive butterfly
I introduced our cat, Dexter, to a red laser light this week. You know, the kind where you shine it on the floor or the wall and cats go wild? He loves it. He runs after it, spins around and tries to “catch” it. He is so funny. He runs up and down our hallway, tries to climb the wall to get it, swats at it with his paws, and wonders why he isn’t able to catch it. He will play until he is out of breath, then go lay down and in about 30 minutes, he is back for more and we do it all over again. As much as he runs, and jumps and swats and spins and swirls and tries to catch it, the red dot on the floor or on the wall always eludes him.
Why? Because the red dot isn’t really “real.” I mean, we can see it and he can see it, but it cannot be caught because it’s only a light. As much as he tries and tries and tries, he has yet to catch it. I’ll let you in on a secret — he will never catch it.
And that got me to thinking. Isn’t it true that you and I sometimes “run” after things we cannot “catch” either? Sure we do. That “elusive butterfly” that is so beautiful but seemingly cannot be caught because it’s always out of reach.
What’s your “elusive butterfly?” A job? A promotion? Another degree? Maybe it’s just being happy in life. Or maybe you are newly married and have been trying to have a baby and it’s just not working yet. Maybe you’ve been married for a long time and you are struggling in your marriage and you want a better marriage like you see some of your friends having. Or, maybe the kids are grown and gone and you and your wife now have nothing in common and you thought the “Golden Years” were going to be a whole lot better than they really are. Maybe you’d like “just enough money” to pay the bills and have a little left to go out once in a while.
I have found that we even chase after that “elusive butterfly” when it comes to eternal things. We think the things that we do will be good enough to get us into Heaven. If I treat others the way I want to be treated, or get baptized, or join a church, or give a lot or just be a good person. But Jesus said, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Even though all of these things are good and admirable … it’s like chasing after the red laser light … you’ll never be able to catch it. Do yourself a favor and read John Chapter 3 and then Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Romans 8:28, Romans 10:9-10, and Romans 10:13. The Bible is very clear about what you have to do in order to spend your eternity in Heaven. See if you come up with what I come up with and I’ll talk more about this next week.
Pastor Thad Gifford is the founding and lead pastor of the Crossroads Community Church, 62 E. Second St., London. He can be reached at (740) 852-7800, e-mail him at sermon8er@aol.com or at their website www.3c-church.org.
