Have you ever found yourself on one of those hamster wheels? Not literally, of course, but just busily doing, without even thinking. It might be at home with children or at work outside of the home. We are doing, doing, doing. We can even find ourselves on that wheel at church, right? We can get so busy with church activities that we can neglect the most important life giving activity of all, spending time with God in God’s Word and in prayer.

It reminds me of something I read years ago about a certain type of caterpillar. The story goes like this:

A famous French naturalist, Jean-Henri Fabre, conducted an interesting experiment with Pine Processionary caterpillars. He took several caterpillars and placed them in single file around the rim of a flowerpot. Each caterpillar’s head touched the end of the caterpillar in front of it so that the procession formed a full circle. Fabre placed pine needles, which are the favourite food of the caterpillars of this type, in the middle of the circle formed by the procession. What makes a Processionary caterpillar special is the instinct to blindly follow the caterpillar in front of it. All caterpillars went in circles hour after hour, day after day, night after night thinking that the caterpillar in front of them was heading to the food. In 7 days, all the caterpillars died from hunger and exhaustion although food was just 6 inches away from them and the only thing they needed to do to get it was to change the direction of movement.*

Imagine, these poor caterpillars just going around and around and around and around, their sustenance within reach, but they were so busy going in circles that they missed it.

Just like those caterpillars, it is so easy for us to go around and around in circles, starving ourselves of life-giving time with God.

This week take a moment out of your busy day and stop. Go to your Bible app, (if you don’t have one consider this https://www.bible.com) and read the verse of the day. It only takes a moment. Or pick up your Bible — yes, go old school — and see what God has to say to you. (If you don’t have a Bible, please come see me, I have one waiting for you!). I promise that if you will stop and listen, God will have a life giving message for you that will nourish your soul.

*Sedniev, Andrii (2014-07-25). The Achievement Factory: How to Fulfill Your Dreams and Make Life an Adventure (p. 62).