Claiming Territory, Or So We Think

Posted by John on Jun 24th, 2009 | no comments

I was sitting on our back porch swing this morning spending time in prayer when I noticed my dog Gracie, a small terrier mix, go ballistic and dart across the yard. She stopped under a tree, looked up and started barking. I heard some rustling and discovered that a small bird was the focus of her attention. Soon the bird flew off and Gracie chased it back across the yard. When the bird was gone, she ran back and hid behind the pool to see if it would come back.

I had to laugh. Here was my dog protecting her territory, which happens to be confined to the ground. The bird, on the other hand, was minding its own business in its own territory where Gracie could never reach. The two were on completely different planes, but Gracie didn’t recognize that.

Then it got me thinking. How much time and energy do we spend focusing on things that are outside our jurisdiction, our area of expertise, and our limitations?

Take the evening news or Drudge Report, for instance. I used to spend hours focused on those things. What changed? One splendid day I realized that they were outside my sphere of influence. I couldn’t change those things; I could only take them in and let them affect me.

So it’s been months since I’ve watched the news (actually got rid of satellite in exchange for local HD), and it’s been months since I’ve clicked refresh on Drudge. And I can testify that life is so much simpler and enjoyable when you don’t worry about things you cannot change.

So where should our focus be? Well, let’s start by asking these questions. Where would my relationship with God be if I started my day with Him instead of reading headlines? How would my relationship with my wife and kids improve if I left the TV off until after the kids go to bed?

I’m not saying stick your head in the sand, but trust me. If you don’t live in the 24 hours news world, you have enough friends who will keep you informed of what’s going on. They’ll always notify you of the important stuff, “Did you hear…?”

So my parting question is this: What are you barking at these days?

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