Eyes on the Prize

Although I would describe myself as a dog person, I do love all animals. I know that might be a hard sell after my vent about insects, but those are insects. I find that when I’m reading up on the habits of a polar bear or the migration of sea life, I learn some sort of valuable life lesson. The same can be said of life with my furries. I have a dog and two cats. Any animal owner can confirm that when mealtime comes around, the furries won’t let you forget. My cats have an auto-feeder for their dry food. It releases a certain amount of food at a certain time. They’ve grown pretty accustomed to it and I can hear the dulcet sound of their meows no matter where I am in the house. Those sounds let me know that it’s nearly time, in their cat brains, for their food. Sometimes their internal clock is a bit off, but we’ll leave that story for another day. Recently, I found myself in their space close to their feeding time. My legs were being circled by both cats as if I were their meal! One headed toward her bowl, sure the time was near. The other busied herself twirling around my legs still and meowing with all her power. Until she heard the sound of food hitting the bowl. 

Usually, she’s pretty on top of it and stands guard before the bowl waiting for the food to drop. She happened to be focused on me that day and when she heard the familiar sounds, she swiftly set in motion to run toward her bowl. But not being at her normal post sent her in a confused scramble. First, she ran in the wrong direction before getting her bearings and heading toward her food spot. It was comical, but also teachable for me. How many times have we found ourselves in a similar situation? This same mad scramble happens to us when we are distracted. Sometimes, our need and maybe even our desire becomes so great that it monopolizes our attention. To the point that we begin to distance ourself from the source of our provision. God. When we lose our focus, then, like Apostle Peter, we find ourselves sinking. 

I’ve recently been hearing a lot about victory. It stirred up my memory of times past during my school days. Quizzes and exams always made me nervous unless it was an open book exam. There were instances where I definitely knew the answers, but having the tools to double check myself made me feel a little more confident. Whereas when I didn’t have that safety blanket, I was a little less sure of myself. We may find ourselves in a similar tussle with this spiritual battle that we are in. Through Christ, we are assured of a victory. More than conquerors. A win is a sure thing. Yet, as we go through hardships in life, we start to lose sight of that and some of the battles we find ourselves in feel like they are overtaking us. 

In those moments, it’s vital for us to be reminded that we are more than conquerors. Like when I was taking a quiz, that open book gave me more confidence then me facing those challenges alone. My faith walk is similar. I’m not on this journey alone and if I feel my confidence wavering, Jesus is right there to build me back up. Better than an open book, he is the answer. A win is always guaranteed because there is no failure in God. Our role as his children is to hold on to that confidence.

Stay Sunny!

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