An answer to the Red Queen’s Race

I while back I was talking with a friend here about the numerous things that are going on in our lives. There are many things happening in a family with lots of kids (he has five kids and I have 8), and so many issues of modern living that it is overwhelming just to do all that needs to be done. We talked about work and financial responsibilities, bills paid and necessities provided; spiritual life, having a relationship with God and living in a Christ-like way and being part of the church; relationships with people, wife and kids, co-workers, neighbors; having a little space and activity for recreation and personal interests.

So it is easy to be going as hard as we can from morning to evening without finishing all there is to do. We cannot do enough. Daily life can end up seeming like running as fast as you can on a rodent’s exercise wheel. This is the Red Queen’s race from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass: Alice was constantly running but remaining in the same spot. “Well, in our country,” said Alice, still panting a little, “you’d generally get to somewhere else, if you run very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.” “A slow sort of country!” said the Queen. “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

Initially, when you look at issues in a full and busy life, it seems there is an easy answer. In any one particular issue, a little more time and money will allow these things to be adequately taken care of. But each area and problem in our life is clamoring for “just a little bit more.” And when you pause to take an inventory of your life and the issues you are facing at this time, it can be overwhelming. A deadening despair can result as you aren’t sure you can keep running as you have been, and you won’t get anywhere even if you can keep on running. Looking at our problems and our own resources doesn’t provide much hope for a solution. But a practical answer for our dilemma is found in Solomon’s dream as recorded in 1Kings 3. Would you be interested to know more of what we discovered?

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