Greyhound racing is a betting sport that draws crowds from across the country who sit in the stands and watch these sleek, graceful dogs race around a track chasing a mechanical rabbit covered in fur. The speed of the rabbit is controlled electronically by a person in a press box, so it remains just out of the dogs’ reach.
After one of these races, a reporter noticed a young greyhound dog sitting in the stands next to his owner, a white-haired man dressed in overalls. He walked over and started talking to him.
“Isn’t that a greyhound?” the reporter asked, pointing to the dog.
“Yep. Full-blooded,” the farmer replied.
“Did he ever race professionally?”
“Yep,” the man said. “Jasper competed for years. Won 100 races. Lived like a king. Earned lots of money.”
Surveying the dog, the reporter observed, “He doesn’t look old enough to retire.”
“He isn’t,” the farmer replied. “He could have raced for several more years.”
“Then what happened?”
“He just quit,” the farmer said, giving Jasper an affectionate pat on his head.
“You mean he just suddenly stopped running? Why?”
The farmer looked at him. “Well, one day he was racing in Florida when the mechanical rabbit malfunctioned. It came to a dead stop right there on the track. Jasper caught it, sniffed it, found out it was fake. He was never the same dog after that. Almost like he was embarrassed to have spent all those days chasing something that wasn’t real.”
Can the same thing be said about you? Are you spending all your energy and time chasing something that has no value? It may look like what you want until you get it and discover that it’s just a cheap imitation.
Like the broken mechanical rabbit, your way of life is no longer working. Your goals are out of focus … out of order … out of reach. Somewhere along the way, you lost your vision; and the rat race isn’t the right race anymore.
It’s time to quit. Stop chasing what’s worthless and pursue what’s priceless.
