PLAYING MONSTER

“Help! Monster!” I screamed. But my cries failed to halt the attack. Falling to the ground, the monster pounced on me, and with a vicious growl, ate my stomach. 

One experience I’ve loved sharing with all my grandchildren is playing “Monster.” The game begins as I enter the room, and in a falsetto voice cry, “No monster, don’t get me.” Then it’s “game on!” They chase me in circles, as I dodge and weave, barely escaping their “claws.” Eventually they catch me. We tumble to the floor and they “devour” me. Then we switch roles and I become the monster. 

Through the years they’ve never failed to catch me.  Why? Because I can’t escape from them? I could easily outmaneuver those small children in the chase. But that’s not the point of the game. I WANT them to catch me. 

In scripture, God challenges us to pursue Him, just as I invite my grandkids to chase me. We press into the Lord, but at times it feels as if He's just outside our grasp, staying one step ahead while we seek Him. Why does He seem to “avoid” us? Because our Father’s deepest desire is that we continually and fervently pursue Him. The Lord WANTS us to catch Him, just as I want my grandkids to catch me when we play "Monster." But the joy is in the journey.

 In II Chronicles 15:2, we discover, “If you seek him, he will be found by you.” Jesus instructs us to “constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him.” (Matthew 6:33 TPT).

Chase after God. Pursue him with all your heart. Seek him with every fiber of your being. Yes it can be frustrating at times, because he doesn’t always let us “catch” him immediately. But the blessing is in the chase. Because when you finally “catch” God, he lets you go, and it’s “game on,” as the chase begins again!  

• In what specific ways can we "chase" after God?

• When have you discovered the joy of chasing and catching God?

“Father, fill me with a longing to pursue you with all my heart.”