Chasing Pigeons

My daughter loves birds. Any time she sees one she wants to hug it. She gives them personalities, names and always describes what they are doing. She says things like, "look at that bird... he is a silly guy," or, "that bird is gonna come and play with me." My wife and I remind her that birds are not like stuffed animals; she cannot hold them and they do not want to be touched. But she still chases birds with the wholehearted intent of giving them a pat on the head and a friendly hug. Sometimes I chase birds. I pursue things that cannot be. I bestow traits and characteristics towards things that do not exist so that my pursuit of them makes sense. It is a fault of delusion and results in wasted time and energy. My reading last week took me to Psalm 127 and reads, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain."

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

It is fruitless to build something if the Lord is not building with you. It is foolish to chase something that cannot be caught. I did some deep thinking about the projects I am working on, those things that I chase. Is the Lord in it? Or am I wasting my time with a product that is not meant to be? We must be mindful and check the pulse of our own motivations.

My daughter has not caught a bird yet; I don't suspect she will. It is cute when she chases them with the wild imaginations of a child because she is learning and discovering how things work. It would be less cute if she does not learn her lesson and is still chasing birds years from now. Is there a bird that you have been chasing?