Cancel the Quest
On Wednesday, my Pastor challenged us with a simple question: When was the last time you truly pursued something?
Whether we succeeded or failed, we all know the intense feeling of pursuit.
In my own life, I know how passionate, relentless, and even consuming the pursuit of a fleeting, earthly desire can be.
Yet, I realized my pursuit of God often dims in comparison. We see this contrast in relationships. The initial chase—the excitement of pursuit—feels good, but once the "prize" is attained, the momentum can halt. Why continue chasing once the goal is reached? But couples who stay together for decades actively choose to pursue each other every single day, committing to love and service even in the mundane.
The Problem of the Mundane
My Pastor often tells us, each day should be exciting. It was hard for me to see that. It felt average and boring to me at times, like that montage of Squidward going through his day on a loop. In his perfect new community, his routine became monotonous: he'd wake up, play the clarinet, ride his bike, and eat his small, square meal—all at the same time, every day, with no interruptions. I wasn't seeing the newness in each day. I was pursuing Christ with an expectation. I was expecting him to show me something exciting for me to react to, but isn't each new day a wonder in itself?
The Divine Quest
In the Bible, two parables beautifully illustrate the nature of pursuit: the woman searching for the lost coin and the merchant seeking the pearl of great price.
The woman with the lost coin lit a lamp, swept, and searched methodically until it was recovered (Luke 15:8-10), while the merchant, recognizing the value of the pearl, immediately sold everything he owned to acquire it (Matthew 13:45-46).
The lesson is simple: You don't stop until you find it or attain it.
This shows us both the diligence and total sacrifice that pursuit requires.
Life with God can be viewed as a main quest. But like a video game, we often have tempting "side quests" pulling us away. God has us on His path, yet we sneak off to tackle less demanding, seemingly “more fun” tasks, leaving our main quest dusty.
When we finally return, we struggle to remember: "What am I supposed to be finding again? How do I get there?"
The Call to Relentless Pursuit
We often feel reluctant to pursue God, but we are relentless in chasing things that excite us, believing there's a greater, more immediate reward in those side quests. The problem is, on God's quest, all meaningful side quests eventually connect back to His ultimate, divine purpose; they aren't random distractions that lead to dead ends.
I know what it means to pursue relentlessly in the natural—running track or playing sports, pushing until you have nothing left. The Lord showed me I was running on a quest, but not on His quest. We must not grow weary running His race, because the reward is more than we can ever imagine (Galatians 6:9).
As my Pastor says, God wants to take us on the adventure of a lifetime.
Will we pursue it? Will we pursue the things of God relentlessly, treating the journey and the quest with the passion they deserve, and not stop until we reach the finish line?
