The landscape was stark and empty as winter held its grip upon the countryside. There was a quietness which matched the scenery and it seemed as if nothing was moving on the land. Yet there was still a desire within me to get out into the woods. There were not many opportunities in Northwest Ohio for hunting, however there was one season which was still open....rabbit.

My cousin and his dad loved to go rabbit hunting. They had a couple beagle dogs which they would use when they ventured into the woods. The dogs were especially helpful when there was a lack of snow on the ground or when the briars got a little thick. When you would see the dogs working, it was obvious they were bred for this activity. One day my cousin asked me if I wanted to go hunting with them. That was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, so I waited with eager expectations.

Shotgun in hand, I climbed into my uncle’s vehicle and we headed for the woods. Once there the dogs began running, sniffing and clamoring through the brush. Shortly, a rabbit came blasting out from cover, zigzagging away from the pursuing beagles. There was always something interesting when a rabbit was on the run. In time, it would come right back where it started from. Rabbits have an instinct within them which makes them want to go in circles. If a hunter is patient and stays put where the rabbit started, let the dogs work, in time that rabbit will come back to the hunter.

Rabbits go in a circle, but somehow it seems also that our life can go in a circle. The alarm goes off, we get out of bed and start the day. Each person has their routine and it stays pretty consistent from day to day. Then it’s off to work. In time we arrive back home to have a supper. Relax a little in the evening and then it’s back to bed. Tomorrow comes and the process is repeated again. For most, this is part of the circle of life. Some of us get comfortable, we like the routine, the familiarity of each day. Actually, we might get a little frustrated if the routine gets sidetracked.

This might also be our pattern in life as we walk with the Lord, seeming like spiritually we are going in circles. We get up in the morning, maybe have a short devotional, then off to work. In the evening we may find time to read some Scripture, then off to bed. Every day seems the same, but then there is Sunday. We might go to Sunday School that day, but for sure Church. Sunday gets a few hours devoted to growing in our walk with the Lord. Then it is back to the normal activity for the next six days. For most people, this is the routine, the circle of their spiritual walk.

Paul mentions in Phil. 3:12-14...”Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind me and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

He also mentions in II Tim. 3:6-8...”For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Paul reminds us that living for Christ involves discipline, effort, persistence and a steadfastness. This is not a going in circles, this is a mindset of pushing toward a goal, one of focus, determination and effort. In our spiritual life, let us not be like a rabbit, just going in circles. Let us be like Paul, never content in our present spiritual state, but always striving to grow continually in our relationship with the Lord.