I heard this story about a greyhound race where the mechanical rabbit which the dogs were chasing suddenly malfunctioned and exploded. What happened next was weird. One dog started chasing its own tail. Another dog ran into a brick wall. The other dogs began to run wildly all over the place. What happened here?
Simple: The dogs lost their reason for the chase. With the rabbit gone, they no longer had any reason to keep running.
We are not so different.
We run after our dreams, our ambitions and aspirations. We tirelessly work hard to to get them. We try hard to make that business venture take off. Or get that promotion. Or achieve that goal. And then, like a thief in the night, they come.
FRUSTRATION. DISAPPOINTMENT. EXASPERATION.
Like a crashing and crushing water fall, it douses your fire. It snuffs out your flame. It reduces the remaining embers of your hope into ashes.
It may have been a promising deal gone bad. Or sharp and hurtful words from your boss. Or an exciting relationship cut short.
For some reason, the fire is gone. And what was once a burning and reachable dream is now a flimsy wish right out of a fairy tale book.
It happened to me recently.
For some reason, I found myself losing my passion to preach. It may have been my grief for my father’s death or some bad turn in my ministry or a struggling prayer time. But one thing for sure: I have grown cold towards my mission.
Believe me, I did what I can to keep the fire burning. But no matter what I did, what was once a blaze was slowly being reduced to a mere flicker.
And then it happened.
In one of my prayer times, my eyes caught a glimpse of the cross of Christ. I gazed at it with bated breath while my thoughts turned to a timeless truth: Here was a man-God who loved me unconditionally, and was crazy enough to die for someone like me. Not only that, he rescued me from a life of sin and gave me a life of blessing. He brought me out of darkness and took me into His marvelous light.
He is my REASON. He is why I do what I do today. He is why I preach. He is why I serve. He is why I chose this missionary life.
Then I realized the secret of the “greyhound race” is also a secret in life.
We must not lose sight of our “why”. Why do we run? Why do we chase that dream? Why do we work so hard? Why do we give so much?
The hardworking father can look to his children and say: They are my “why”.
The honest government official can look at the poor in the slums and say: They are my “why”.
The sacrificing single mom can look at her only child and say: He is my “why”.
The struggling priest can stand in front of his congregation every Sunday and say in his heart: They are my “why”.
How about you, my friend?
If you want to keep burning for your dream, don’t forget the secret of the “greyhound race”.
Keep your “why” in sight.
And before you know it, you will realize with unexplained relief: you have won the race of life!