If you, like me, dread lizards and wonder why God ever took such pains to create them, you’ll understand this better…
I spent half my evening just chasing a silly lizard from room to room until I finally ended up with a severe headache! I would chase it from a corner in my bedroom to corner in the living room, and when I tried chasing it out of there, instead of running elsewhere, it would run right back to the same corner in my bedroom where I had found it in the first place! Back and forth it ran, with me running behind it, stick in hand (!!!) until it finally got the right idea and decided to run for its life – so fast, that I didn’t even have a clue as to where it had gone!
I guess we sometimes, like that lizard, run back and forth between problems and situations, with God chasing after us. He chases us out of corners in our lives that He knows aren’t the best for us, but oftentimes we run back to the same habits, relationships and lifestyles that He took so much pain chasing us out of.
Sometimes we run out of confusion and sometimes out of fear, but little do we realize that if we just allow Him to lead us, He will take us where we ought to go.
Hebrews 12:6 says, “Whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” I’d like to rephrase that as “Whom the Lord loves He chases.” (for reasons of this illustration only.)
Most times we question God as to why He is chasing us around with seemingly no aim. The truth is, God is the only one who knows fully well what is best for us. Therefore, He sometimes has to be strict with us, chasing us with a rod in hand. At other times he may be gentle with us, carefully leading us out of situations.
As much as it might seem cruel of God to be chasing us, the fact that He does so only because He loves us is truly amazing. In our distress we fail too see the blessings God has in store for us, but only when we allow Him to push us to where He wants us to be, can we find true happiness, fulfillment and freedom.
I now realize that God must have created creatures such as lizards just to teach us poor ignorant, unseeing humans such valuable lessons as this.
The Well Watered Tree 