The Chase

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess the perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” - Philippians 3:12-14

A couple of weeks ago, Texas and Alabama met in a college football game in Austin. Alabama was able to squeak out with the win, as they were at the time the #1 team in the country. But during a weekly meeting before the game even took place, Alabama’s long-esteemed head coach, Nick Saban, was asked a very interesting question by one of the commentators who would be calling the game.

They asked Saban, who is now 70 years old, “Why do you still do this? What do you love about your job that motivates you to keep going and keep doing this?” The phrase Saban said was very interesting. He told the man asking the question, “The chase is better than the capture.”

Here is a man who has “captured” it all. He has won 7 national championships (the most in college football history). He has earned more money than most of us will ever see in a lifetime, and by a wide margin. He has helped over 100 players reach the professional ranks. He has seemingly “captured it all.”

And yet, he keeps going because he believes the chase is better than the capture. This is in line with what the Apostle Paul was talking about in Philippians 3 when he says, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess the perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”

When it comes to pursuing God, we are never done. We will never “capture it all.” If you are still breathing, God still has a purpose for your life, which means you are not finished yet. So many believers want to be a finished product, but the truth is, we are never a finished product. As Paul states, we are not perfect. There is always room to grow! But this should not discourage us. Do not get caught up in the capture, but instead enjoy the chase!