Pursuit

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me 
all the days of my life, 
and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
-Psalm 23:6



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​​There's a very unique event in olympic cycling called "the pursuit." Two teams of four start on opposite sides of the indoor track (the velodrome). When the race starts, both teams take off, each one trying to accelerate enough to catch up to the other team and overtake them. It's an intense race that takes only 4 minutes. Whoever is closer to the other team by the time they complete 4000 meters wins. 

Here's the funny thing. In this sport, hardly anyone ever catches the other team, or gets caught by them. Even though they're pursuing and a winner is declared by time, there's rarely resolution to the pursuit itself. 
 
Watching some of these races and hearing the word "pursuit" so many times made me think about a Psalm that I've been reflecting on for months. 

As a shepherd, David saw his relationship with God through a familiar lens. God was his shepherd, relating to him in many of the same ways that he cared for his sheep. And he wrote about it with some of the richest poetry we have in all of the scriptures. 

But it's the last line that I sat with again this week. 

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. 

The idea of something pursuing us can be a little unnerving. And we can certainly feel that here, if our image of God is one who is angry, disappointed, or disciplinary. Who would ever want to be caught? 

But David is clear to say that it's God's goodness and care that are always following after him, never far off. This is not a God who is constantly frustrated with us, or a shepherd who begrudgingly heads out to corral the wandering sheep. This is the king of love, who so deeply cares for those who bear God's very image, that the Shepherd will always be chasing after them and opening doors for them to experience that love, justice, wholeness, and relationship. It's that restorative goodness that will bring them to life and make the whole world thrive. 

When it's God's goodness and mercy pursuing you (literally God's "steady lovingkindness"), well, that's a beautiful pursuit indeed. 

Much like the biking race, our life of discipleship is both an invitation to pursue God, as well the grace-filled awareness that God is pursuing us. It's a cycle. Sometimes we'll reach out and touch the goodness of God by seeking it out. And sometimes we just need to SLOW DOWN in order to let the beautiful goodness of God catch up to us. Because God is there, constantly heading in our direction, constantly ready to join us and transform us. But we often lack the ability in our stressed-out, busy minds and schedules to look back and welcome the love of our pursuer. 

When you think of God pursuing you, what sort of image and feeling to you get? Is it full of love and goodness and mercy? Because that's' the sort of pursuit we are invited to see in this Psalm. And it seems by the witness of Jesus and his words in the gospels, he would affirm that this is indeed the nature of God that he came to fully reveal. Jesus doesn't say "I am the shepherd" in John 10. He reminds us, "I am the good shepherd" (italics mine). God's goodness is integral in his shepherd leadership. 

Finally, much like the Olympic cycling pursuit... the chase never actually resolves. Even if you have moments where you sense and grasp God's goodness and mercy, there are more close behind, ready to peel back another layer of your soul and shape you in a new way for the sake of the world. Keep your eyes open; God's love and mercy will indeed be pursuing you every day for the rest of your life. 

You are being pursued today. But don't be concerned. If you get caught, you might just get a fresh experience of the love and goodness that you were always intended to receive. Because when God pursues you, love is always the result of the takeover. 

Jesus, open my eyes today to how your goodness has been chasing me, even if I haven't allowed myself to be caught. 

Peace,
Keith

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