ith the Masai tribe. They are absolutely incredible. They are one of the very few tribes who still dress in their traditional clothes and follow many traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. After meeting many members of the tribe and joining in with their welcoming dance, I met a young man named Ole. I say young man…and mean “man”. The reason for that is because he has killed a male lion! One of the unique traditions in the Masai tribe is that in order to transition from a boy to a man, you must kill a lion. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t believe that people like this still existed on this earth, and I couldn’t believe that becoming a man required killing the king of the jungle. I had to know more. My first question was “how?”. 
I asked Ole about his experience, and he said he quietly approached the lion and got within range to use his spear. Then he finished the job with his knife. My next question was “what if you missed?”. His answer was what I expected.
Simply unbelievable…and fascinating. I loved it. I didn’t love the lion killing part of it, but I appreciated the rite of passage into manhood. My time with Ole wasn’t the first time that I’d thought about this step into manhood this year, and it’s something that I feel is missing from our American culture. When does a boy know he’s a man? Is it when he turns a certain age or when he moves out of the house? Do his parents determine it? Does the Lord determine it? Or is there an obstacle that must be overcome in order to get there? I don’t have the answers, but I absolutely love the idea. I think there’s a point in every boy’s life where he and his parents know that he’s forever different and a man. In the Masai tribe, that means going face to face with the king of the jungle and coming out alive. So…what was/is my lion?
What was/is your lion?
