Chasing CarrotsSample

Chasing Carrots

The idea of chasing carrots comes from the carrot and stick metaphor first written about in the mid-1800s. Imagine a cartoon drawing of a donkey with a carrot dangling just out of reach. The rider holds the carrot on a long stick and uses it to motivate the donkey to race. For the donkey, the reward is always just one more step away.

Do you ever feel like the donkey?

Long before the 1800s, King Solomon lamented the futile pursuits in life as nothing more than “chasing after the wind.”

Have you ever tried to catch the wind? It’s always just one more step away.

The tricky thing about “just one more step” is that there’s always just one more step. Just a few more years in this job, or once you graduate, or as soon as you get married, or when the kids are older, or when your faith is stronger, or when you can afford the next thing that promises happiness. Just. One. More. Step. 

There’s a better way to live. You can step off the performance treadmill. There is so much more to life than bigger and better. 

Jesus addressed this frenzied quest for more in Matthew 6. As you read Jesus’ words today, try this. Take a deep breath and empty your mind of your concerns. Imagine you’re there as He’s teaching. What are you sitting on? How does the air smell? How does His voice sound? What else do you hear? What do you see? What is unraveling inside of you at the sound of his voice?

After you’re done reading today’s Scripture with the method above, here are two questions to consider. Wasn’t it nice to slow down and be around Jesus? How can I make more room for Jesus in my life?

Pray: After reading today’s Scriptures, pray and ask God to slow you down enough to hear from Him throughout your day. 

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