Still Running?

Probably everyone is familiar with the Energizer rabbit – continuously beating his drum as he marches across the screen. Still going, still running. He’s well enough known that he even shows up in parodies. I have a necktie that features the cartoon cat Garfield, wearing rabbit ears, beating a drum and feeding his face. The caption? “Still eating.”

After their incident with the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve ran when they heard God coming. True, they didn’t run far, but they wanted to separate themselves from what they’d done. As soon as God showed up, the finger-pointing began, and the blame began to fly.

There were quite a few kids in the neighborhood where I grew up, but most of them my age lived over on the next block. We’d quite often get together to play baseball in the street. I remember one summer evening when I was about eleven. We’d been playing ball, when everyone else was called in for supper. For some forgotten reason, I hadn’t gone home for supper. Maybe we’d already eaten, or I hadn’t been called. At least I know my mother hadn’t come with the paddle like she did on a different occasion. Anyway, I ended up with the ball and my friend’s new bat out where we’d been playing. I don’t recall exactly how it happened, but I do know I broke the bat. What to do?

Unfortunately, there was a little too much Adam and Eve in me. But before I ran, I hid the evidence. My friend’s father had been cleaning the yard, trimming trees. There was a large pile of brush that he was planning on burning in the ditch. So I slid the broken bat into the bottom of the pile, and ran for home. Not something to be proud of, but it fits in the story.

Down through the Bible we can find reference to individuals who ran from difficult situations. God called Jonah, and he ran. Peter ran from the judgment hall after denying the Lord. Jezebel threatened Elijah, and he ran, clear to the cave at Mt. Horeb. He’d allowed circumstances to overwhelm him, and he ran. Do you remember God’s question? In a still small voice, “What are you doing here?”

Several years ago, there was an incident covered by the national news services. Seems a prospective bride disappeared just before her wedding, and showed up on the other side of the country, claiming to have been kidnapped. As it turned out, she’d become overwhelmed by her circumstances, and started concocting stories and events to separate herself from the situation. Running, running.

Have you looked closely at the story of the prodigal son? He was running. I’ve heard several speakers/authors more familiar with ancient customs than I who indicated that this son, when he asked for his share of the inheritance, was in essence saying he wished his father was dead. He got his wealth and took off, running away. True, he had friends to run with him, probably beating the drum for him as he ran. But as he ran, the money also ran. And when the money was gone, the friends were gone, and there was no one to beat the drum for him. So he ended up in the pigpen, about as low as he could go. And only then, without the beating of the drum, could he hear his father’s love calling him home.

How is it with you and me? Are we still running from something we’ve done, or perhaps just running from God? Are we boxed in by our circumstances? Do we feel as if we've run out of resources? If so, maybe it’s time to stop listening to the rabbit’s drumming. We need to get to the point where we can listen for the still small voice. Can you hear it, ever whispering? “Come home, my child. I still love you.” Isn't it time to run to our Father?

God Bless!

Dr. G