I drove under the speed limit the day after it snowed to avoid any surprising patches on the road. The deep ditches were completely filled from the snow from one snowfall after another. All the cars in the line took their time, but I noticed someone in a rush.

As I glanced to my right, I saw a rabbit straining to run with everything he had. I didn’t see anything chasing him. He wasn’t darting from side to side as rabbits often do. He was focused. Perhaps he was racing the cars.

I chuckled as I thought about the fable of the tortoise and the hare. We all know the hare should have easily beat the tortoise, but he took his speed for granted. He could have easily beat that tortoise, but here was a rabbit running with all his might beside a line of cars, and he was losing ground. Even his best effort wasn’t going to beat the faster cars.

We all have to strain to keep up with something.

Is it the “something” that is so important, or the “somewhere”?

Where are you headed? Do you even know, or are you too focused on the strain of forward motion? You don’t want to lose ground, so you don’t slow down enough to make sure you know where you’re headed.

Maybe that rabbit actually had a purpose, a destination. But maybe he was just running because that’s what everyone around him was doing. If it was a race, he was losing, especially if he didn’t know where he was going or why.

Slow down today and look around. Do you know where you are? Do you know where you’re going? Do you know why, and is it a good reason?

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)