Are You Running Wild?

Picture by Caprice Miller

“²²So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, ²³ for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.” – Acts 17:22-23

 Meet the “Mustangs Of Las Colinas”.  This is a much admired sculpting piece in the middle of a business district of Irving, Texas.  It’s a great place to sit on a beautiful spring day and have lunch or to walk around and view in the evening under the Texas stars.  As you view the sculpture you can almost imagine them running across rivers and the open plains.  You wonder what causes them to run so wild and aimlessly.  Did something spook one of them and then the rest just followed along?  When they finally get tired and stop they may look at each other and think “What was that all about?  We were having a perfectly great time grazing and Sam gets spooked again and we all have to run!  That ain’t right.  Next time he can go by himself.”  Or maybe they don’t think at all about the fact that they just follow the leader and don’t ask questions.  Many people seem to have this same mentality.  And yet they think of themselves as “free thinkers” not realizing they are missing the true freedom that could be theirs. 

This is what Paul discovered when he visited Athens.  The Bible tells us that he was really distressed by the idols he saw everywhere – even one “To an Unknown God” just in case they missed one.  It must have made Paul even more distressed to realize this city was so full of such intelligent minds that were so close to the truth, and yet so far from it also.  Their concept of “free thinking” had actually entangled them in the confusion of deception that closed their minds to the truth of God and the true freedom He has given us through Jesus Christ.  Instead of running toward the freedom found in God, they were running wild and aimlessly wherever the newest concept of the most recent idol took them.  And when that would lead to a dead end, disappointment or ruin, they would simply move on to the next idol, it seems.  Perhaps the thought was that surely one of these idols would lead to the utopia being searched for.   How many times do so many of us do the same thing? 

While we don’t see many “idols” today as they had in those days of Athens, we certainly do have idols.  They still cause us to chase after the utopia we so long for.  These idols come in the form of obtaining the best material possessions, being part of the current status crowd, and sacrificing ourselves by doing whatever is required to acquire these things and find favor with that current status crowd.  Basically, an “idol” is something that becomes the deception keeping our focus turned away from the truth and freedom found in a relationship with God through Christ. 

As we see in the Bible, Paul was able to help many in Athens understand that the truth was not in an idol “To an Unknown god”, but through a relationship with God, the creator of the universe.  Many determined to stop running wild and aimlessly toward nothing and open their minds and hearts to the truth of God instead.   These people in turn began sharing with others to help them stop running also.  This is such a similar cycle that happens still today.  When we have spent a life running wild and aimlessly, it is such a wonderful, life-changing experience to run into the loving arms of Jesus and stop running.  We can’t help but share the experience with others so they can stop running too.  And if we must run, let’s determine to run with purpose and in the direction God has for us.  If we have had this life-changing experience in our lives we are to help others know the truth and love of God also.  Run with that purpose.