This morning on my run, I jogged past a man with two older dogs. They weren’t leashed, but it didn’t seem to matter.  Instead of chasing after me and being distracted by the scent of someone new, the dogs stayed closed to their master, happy to be in his company.

Younger dogs (and ADD dogs like mine) dart here and there after shiny things, different things, anything that distracts.

Oh how I am like this.

I’ll be running along in life only to see something cool or novel. I’ll avert my attention from the task at hand and chase the shiny thing, sometimes leaving God in the dust.

I know I’ve done that in my writing career. I’ve chased whatever gadget I thought would benefit my career, often failing miserably because the shiny thing didn’t fit me, or God didn’t intend for me to chase it in the first place. Oh how many lessons I’ve learned (more like cautionary tales) because I didn’t stay near to my Master.

In the next week or so, I’ll be sharing the new thing God is calling me to do. Actually, it’s not a new thing,it’s the same thing He’s been telling me to do for a long time. And I’m finally trusting Him enough to know that shiny is for a moment, but sticking next to God’s plan is for a lifetime. And that produces fruit, long lasting fruit.

This world is full of shiny distractions. They pop up around every corner in the form of sin, fame, reputation, get-rich-quick schemes,eternal youth fountains, even people. But God calls us to be devoted to our Master, to let go of chasing shiny things and replace that pursuit with perseverance.

What about you? What shiny things have you chased? And how did that work out for you?