Earl has never caught a bird. Earl is my dog. She’s a pug with a weight problem. She snores when she walks because her "pug" nose makes even breathing a chore. But that doesn’t stop her from chasing birds. Every morning, I take her (yes, Earl is a girl) outside for a short walk. And every morning Earl sees a bird. The bird sees Earl, and takes flight. Earl takes off, too. She hits a dead sprint as if she is hoping to somehow defy the laws of pug gravity, take flight, and chase down that bird in the clouds. And every day her leash brings her back to that same lesson learned; her chasing is in vain.

Seeing Earl’s foolish pursuit of a bird he’ll never catch reminds me of, well, me. Can you relate? My pursuit of God can quickly become secondary to my pursuit of lesser goals. And while those lesser goals often leave us disappointed and empty handed, our pursuit of the Father promises to fulfill our deepest longings. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)"
Ask the Lord to show you what it means to truly seek Him and only him with ALL your heart today. Push lesser goals aside. He will direct your path with those. Let nothing come before your search for Him.

-mw