We all know what it means when someone gets off on a rabbit trail. Usually, we are referring to someone getting distracted by a side thought, following it down a rabbit trail, and ending up far from the original topic.
The expression “going off on a rabbit trail” likely grew out of rural life and hunting. A rabbit’s path is rarely straight. It twists, crosses over itself, and can lead anyone following it farther and farther away from the clear trail. Over time, the phrase became a picture of what happens when our thoughts, conversations—or even our lives—wander away from the main path.
Here in Colorado, we have deer trails. I remember back in 2012, hiking a fourteener, Mount Democrat, and without noticing it, I got off on a deer trail. My dad—the avid hiker and mountain man—called out to me, “You’re on a deer trail! Get back to the main path!”
Because he was ahead of me, he could see what I could not.
I think that friendly, fatherly advice—or correction—is exactly what Jesus is saying in Matthew 6:33:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
It’s like He is saying, “Hey, guys! You are off on a rabbit trail—one the world usually takes. Get back on the main path, and it will take you to the right place!”
What is the path for us as followers of Christ?
To seek Him first.
The verses before Matthew 6:33 tell us that the Gentiles eagerly seek after what they will eat, drink, and wear. But Jesus reminds His followers that our heavenly Father already knows what we need. He points to the birds of the air and the flowers of the field as examples of His care and provision.
It is as though He is saying, “But you—you are My followers. There is a deeper, freer life with Me.”
Our main path is His path.
Don’t get sidetracked or distracted by constantly looking at your own needs. Instead, keep your eyes looking up and forward at Jesus, our Leader.
He’s saying, “Eyes on Me.”
And all that we need will be provided.
No rabbit trails for me!
How to Stay on His Trail
1. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Before looking at everything that needs to be solved, provided, or figured out, look to Him. Ask, “Jesus, where are You leading me today?”
My favorite picture hangs in my room, right by my door. It is the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I exit the room. It is a picture of Jesus’ feet walking along the beach. When I look at that picture, I can feel my Savior saying to me daily, “Will you walk with Me?”
I picture myself putting my hand in His and walking barefoot beside Him on the beach.
Friends, let’s put our hands in His, keep our eyes on Him, and walk with Him daily.
2. Notice when peace leaves.
Worry, hurry, comparison, and distraction can be signs that we have wandered onto a rabbit trail. Pause, become still, and return your attention to what God has actually placed in front of you.
We have all been there. It is so easy in this day and age to become distracted and wander off the trail, even when we have good intentions. It is only by constantly “tuning in” to God’s voice that we can see clearly and recognize where He is leading us.
You can read more about tuning your heart to God’s voice in my previous blog here: https://melanietalevski.com/2026/07/14/tune-my-heart-a-spiritual-tune-up/
3. Keep the main thing the main thing.
This was one of my dad’s favorite things to say, and our family still says it to one another often.
What it means is this: seek His kingdom first.
Keep Jesus, His voice, His ways, and what matters to Him at the center of your life. Do the next faithful thing. Trust Him with what you cannot control, and remember that your Father already knows what you need.
When the main thing remains the main thing, all the other concerns of life can take their proper place.
Staying on His trail does not mean we will never become distracted. It means that when we notice we have wandered, we listen for our Father’s voice and return to the path.
Lord, I ask that You would gently nudge us back to Your path. It is so easy to get caught up in a detour or a distraction. Sometimes we do not realize it until we are miles off course.
Keep us on Your good path. Help us keep our eyes on You and our priorities centered on You. Help us rest assured that You truly provide all we need.
“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
—Philippians 4:19
Amen.
Until next time,
P.S. In this hymn I love, “Come Thou Fount” https://youtu.be/XKOoeTbjSeI?si=70DRCpHhT0qC7vQY the lyrics speak to our human condition: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.”
On our own, we are prone to wander. We become distracted, follow rabbit trails, and drift away from the path God has placed before us. But because of His love, mercy, and faithful leadership, He gently redirects us to His good path and draws our hearts back to Him.
Melanie Talevski 