“For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Our house is filled with laughter as we watch our cats tear around, chasing something that cannot ever be caught. I’m sure you’re no stranger to those videos of cats chasing a laser pointer—and chasing, and chasing, and chasing. We now have two of those crazy pointers in our house. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I purchased them specifically for our four feline family members. Welllll, ok, not really. It’s more like I purchased them for one kitty in particular. It’s my cat, Reese, and she’s gotten, well, let’s just say she’s “healthy.” So much so, that my son has nicknamed her obese Reese-much to my chagrin. I questioned whether it was because I named her after my favorite candy (you know, your name defines you and all that), but my family assured me it didn’t have anything to do with that. I’m blaming genetics.
I thought I’d get a couple of these lasers to help her get moving a bit and exercise. It didn’t take me long, however, to start to feel sorry for them. They run around the house from room to room, jumping over each other, scaling the fireplace bricks, knocking into whatever gets in their way, only to run out of steam and collapse to the floor panting. For what? They’re not like humans, purposefully engaging in a physical activity that results in collapsing to the floor, panting. So why do they chase the lasers? Same reason they chase their tails, and my toes when I wiggle them. The movement stimulates the predator instinct within. It doesn’t matter that what they chase they will never catch. It’s instinct.
Does It Matter What We Think? We may laugh at the cats (or dogs) when they spin in endless circles after that threatening tail, or when they tear after red beams. But we also have a fleshly instinct within us to chase those same lasers. I’m talking about the lasers of money, power, position, security, beauty, and any other false or empty desire that drives us to exert all our energy on things that leave us wanting. Colossians 3:2 encourages us to, “Set (our) mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” To set our mind really means to make up our mind. Take a minute and think, what do you set your mind on? Have you made up your mind to become the top executive at your company? Have you made up your mind to become the best-dressed person at school? These things are all temporary-they will pass away. What would happen if we take time to make up our minds that we are going to say encouraging things to our family and friends today? Or if we made up our minds to love ourselves just as we are because that’s how God made us? Let’s set our minds on what really matters, and not on lasers.
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