“You’re a lion, trying to be a horse,” she told me with a smile on her face. “A lion is powerful. A lion is courageous. A lion doesn’t fear people or their opinions. A lion knows who he is. But you’re not being a lion. You’re trying to be a horse.”
Most people like horses. They are beautiful creatures, and many horse owners might describe a special bond they feel with them. They are graceful, and aren’t terribly frightening. Most people are excited about the opportunity to meet a horse. It’s a worthy thing to want to be.
“. . . but you’re not a horse. Stop being a horse. Be a lion.”
About 8 months ago, I received a challenge from a fellow squad mate that could see me better than I could see myself. She had a glimpse from God about my identity, and how I had been failing at being myself. Her challenge wasn’t judgmental or belittling, (nor was it plastered with a title like “feedback”) but gentle and encouraging, and one that wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than God’s plan for me.
Since then, the race has carried undertones of my identity as a lion, and not a horse. I have learned confidence in myself. I’ve learned to feel more comfortable in my own skin. I’ve learned not to let a role or title define me, but what God puts in me. And in June, something amazing happened.
2 years ago, I was in Uganda on my birthday, on a safari. I told God,
“Hey God, if you want to give me a birthday gift, I’d love to see a lion today.”
Not-so-long story even shorter, I didn’t see a lion that day. Fast forward almost 2 years, I’m in Zambia, in a local zoo.
And this happened.
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That day I saw 5 hungry lions (that sounds like the name of a children’s book) show their grace, strength, and oddly, their seemingly friendly qualities as they would chew on their meat like a dog does a bone. Later that afternoon, as I watched the sun setting with a cup of coffee in my hand that conveniently said “trust” on it, God began to whisper something to me. . .
“You might think I’m 2 years late. . . but really, I’m a day early. Because today, you have become a lion.”
In that moment, God began showing me moments from that month, like the time I was asked to preach to the youth with nothing prepared:
I didn’t have any idea of what I would preach, and as I stood at the pulpit, flipping to a verse I had happened to turn to that morning, I prayed that God would speak through me, then opened my mouth and began speaking. And he did speak through me. . . for 45 minutes. Afterward, several people told me they the talk and get a lot out of it. A fellow squad mate told me she took 2 pages of notes.
It was through moments like that, that I became a lion that month – confident, powerful, and courageous. And the key of unleashing my inner lion is to rely on God, and trust Him to be my roar. The irony in it all is that to be a lion, as I was created to be, I have to rely on God to operate through me.
But in the days to follow, I found I have a lesson to learn as a lion . . . because lions are much more dangerous than horses. Otherwise, I will be the man who went from being a horse, to being a lion, only to recede into becoming an ass.
(Next time: A Lion’s Backside)
