One day, a young disciple of Christ desirous of wanting to fully receive all that God had for him visited the home of an elderly Christian. He had heard that this old man had never lost his first love for Christ over all the years.
When he arrived the elderly man was sitting on the porch with his dog taking in a beautiful sunset. The young man posed this question:
"Why is it sir, that most Christians zealously chase after God during the first year or two after their conversion, but then fall into a complacent ritual of church once or twice a week and they end up not looking any different than their neighbors who aren’t even Christians?
I have heard you are not like that."
The old man smiled and replied, "Let me tell you a story: One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us.
Well, my dog jumped up, and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit over the hills with a passion.
Soon, other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking.
What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks, up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns!
Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit."
"In that story, young man, lies the answer to your question." The young man sat in confused silence.
Finally, he said, "Sir, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for God?"
"You fail to understand," answered the well-seasoned old man, "because you failed to ask the obvious question. Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase? And the answer to that question is that they had not seen the rabbit."
"Brother unless you see the prize, the chase is just too difficult. You will lack the faith, the passion and determination necessary to keep up the chase." (Unknown Author)
There are a few things that stood out to me in this parable: The dog chased after the white rabbit; the chase was filled with obstacles; discouragement and frustration would thin the pack; and the dog was not distracted.
Have you ever been guilty of chasing someone else's rabbit? I have. When I first started growing my testimony I relied on the enthusiasm and faith of others. I looked to them as examples and emulated what they did in hopes of having faith like theirs.
There is a problem with this strategy: When your back is up against the wall and the people you rely on for your faith aren't around, you lose focus. The white rabbit isn't there for you to chase, because you never saw it in the first place. I was so busy focused on following the things that they were doing that I never took the time to stop and figure out what it really meant to me. This would cause some serious difficulties in my spiritual life.
Obstacles
My biggest challenge with faith came when I was nineteen years old. I was the victim of a sex crime that was both physically and emotionally damaging. My relationship with God would spiral downward for a year and half. When I should have leaned on the Lord the most, I turned away, feeling forsaken and without focus.
I thought I had a strong relationship with God before this happened, but I would learn that it would take more than going through the motions to have enough faith to get me through this. I knew that God was there, but at the time I didn't have the faith to know that He was REALLY there for ME. I was so focused on the "Why would He let this happen to me?" that it took me a while to figure out that I should have been asking, "How can His love for me heal me?"
During the year and a half it took me to rebuild my faith, the Lord placed people in my life that helped me put things in perspective. There is one person that stands above the rest, I don't remember her name, but I do remember her story, because it was in such contrast to mine.
The story is of a women who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She didn't turn her back on God, but instead showed Job-like faith in her battle (which she said she learned from reading the Book of Job many times) and she prayed to God daily thanking Him for the many blessings He had given her. She didn't look at her cancer as a terrible thing, but instead saw in this challenge the confidence that God was showing in her ability to love Him in spite of the difficulties of the situation. She was dying, yet her faith was growing. She knew what the white rabbit meant and she kept her eye on it til the very end. She would lose her battle with cancer, but her example of faith inspires me still.
Discouragement and Frustration
Years later I would find out that the physical injuries I had sustained during the crime would make conceiving a child difficult. This would be another hurdle for my faith. Like many little girls all over the world I had dreamed of being a mom someday and now it looked like that wasn't going to happen. By this time in my life my faith had strengthened, but was it up to the required amount needed to pull me through infertility? I would like to say that I was able to deal with the situation perfectly and never lost focus of the eternal perspective, but, as usual, I did not show the grace I could have.
Again the Lord helped me with my perspective. There were other couples that were struggling with infertility in our area. There is one particular couple that touched my heart and inspired me because they never gave up. They would fight this battle for twelve years before their son was born. As I watched them I came to realize that they had an amazing desire to live the commandments. Their hope was that through obedience they would receive the blessings they desired. They would not drop out of the chase, they would keep focused on the prize and do it faithfully. This example of faith in God's promises helped me to make changes in my own life so that I too might be worthy of the blessings I was asking for. Their example kept me in the chase.
Distractions
It is so easy to be distracted by the wants of the world. We are bombarded daily with messages to entice us away from our spiritual self and more to the natural man. I am not immune to the power of distractions. More than once I have found myself wanting acceptance from others or more possessions. I have crossed over the line and had to find my way back. Life experience has taught me that these types of distractions have painful consequences.
I have watched many people in my life give into worldly pressures because it promised them money, power, and acceptance. Their focus became alcohol, drugs, gambling, or sex and cost them their families, jobs, and for some, their lives. My family has experienced the loss of a loved one due to the inability of others to stay focused on what matters. My grandfather was killed by a drunk driver.
There is truth in the words of the prophets to avoid these temptations. Nothing good comes from them. The white rabbits of the world only lead to temporary happiness and distract us from the real focus, eternal life with our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. This may seem a narrow focus to the world, but if we can stick with it we are promised endless possibilities. We need to make sure we are chasing the right white rabbits.
The Chase
I would one day have the children that I prayed for. Little did I know that it would be my child that would cause me to pause in my faith yet one more time. My youngest son would struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after a terrible car accident we were in. He would suffer from depression and thoughts of suicide during his battle to control these emotions. At one point I became so concerned that I didn't sleep, but sat up at night to watch him.
On one such night I had a real heart to heart with God. I found myself drifting into the "why would you let this happen" way of thinking. The thought of losing this precious child consumed me. It would have been easy to be angry with God, but I was different this time. My faith had been tested many times prior to this occasion, and I was stronger than I had ever been. This was a turning point for me in my journey of faith, this time I would keep chasing the white rabbit, I would keep my focus, and I would do so with more passion and determination than ever before.
Where did this strength come from? What was different about this time? There are a few things that I attribute to the strength of my faith:
1) I was praying daily
As I prayed daily I started to see that God was listening to and answering my prayers. It is difficult to be ungrateful when you see so many blessings in your life. With gratitude in my heart I came to have a confidence in God's ability to answer even my most difficult requests.
2) I was really studying the scriptures every day
When my faith is faltering I read the Book of Job and find strength in knowing that God has confidence in me to bear the burdens. The Book of Psalms helps me see that my problems aren't as bad as they could be, the Four Gospels teach me that my Savior and Heavenly Father love me, and the scriptures as a whole help me to see that hope comes from having faith.2) I was really studying the scriptures every day
3) I was actively looking for examples of faith in my life
I was seeking God in my life. I was constantly asking myself what could I learn from the people He placed in my life or the situations that I found myself in? I was pursuing faith, not waiting for it to come to me.
4) I decided to focus on God's will and not my own
This is the fastest way I know to change my perspective. When I focus on what God wants and not what I want there comes a peace and calm that envelopes my whole being. My worries fade and my desire to do my part increases. The focus shifts from me and my problems and on to how God is working through me.
Finding faith is a personal journey. Chasing someone else's rabbit won't cut it, like the story says, the discouragement and frustration becomes too difficult to continue. Finding the right white rabbit to chase has taken me a lifetime and a lot of heartache, but the important thing is that I am still on the chase!
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